Broadband Communities

The popular conception of the digital divide is that it’s a problem of insufficient density; rural areas lack critical mass for infrastructure investment. In reality, at least 13.9 million disconnected households live in cities and metropolitan areas. Solving the problem requires addressing interrelated challenges of infrastructure and affordability. Where fiber is not easily accessible, fixed wireless is changing the economics of bringing broadband access to larger urban buildings.

Current levels of broadband deployment subsidies should be maintained or increased over the next five years, but policymakers will need to change the way these subsidies are distributed. The base for the Universal Service Fund needs to be broadened and made sustainable. Except in the most remote areas, the standard for publicly subsidized broadband networks should be set at 1 Gbps symmetrical or higher to ensure that public investments will be usable for a generation or longer.

The emerging model presents a scalable option for communities that lack the expertise or interest to operate networks or act as ISPs themselves but want to own and control the core communications assets in their communities as a means of securing the benefits of broadband internet. Here’s a look at the model’s business case, technical elements and risks.