Localism

One might think this is the moment for community broadband networks. The truth is, locally-directed networks have been serving their communities for a long, long time. In discussing his administration’s plans for broadband, President Joe Biden noted that municipal and cooperative networks should be favored because these providers face less pressure to turn profits and are more committed to serving entire communities.

Central Virginia counties could see nearly all of their residents receive access to fiber-optic broadband service over the next few years. Nine counties have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that could lead to a partnership to bring high-speed internet to residents who don’t have access, and four additional counties have projects in the works. The MOU is between Firefly Fiber Broadband, which is a subsidiary of the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative; Dominion Energy Virginia; the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative; and the participating localities.

The southwest corner of New Hampshire will be blanketed with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks over the next two years, as 16 communities are drawing up plans to enter into public-private partnerships to boost high-speed Internet access in the state. According to New Hampshire’s Southwest Region Planning Commission (SWRPC), six more cities have also issued warrant articles indicating their interest in partnering with a private In

On June 4, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau released an order, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in FCC v.

After coming close to imposing a near-total ban on municipal broadband networks, Ohio's Republican-controlled legislature has dropped the proposed law in final negotiations over the state budget. Lawmakers apparently relented to public pressure from supporters of municipal broadband and cities and towns that operate the networks. People and businesses from Fairlawn, OH where the city-run FairlawnGig network offers fiber Internet, played a significant role in the protests. FairlawnGig itself asked users to put pressure on lawmakers, and the subscribers did so in great numbers.

The San Jose City Council approved Google’s plan for a mixed-use megacampus that spans 80 acres and 7.3 million square feet of office space in the heart of California’s third-largest city.

For decades, policymakers in Washington and state capitals have fretted about the patchwork of broadband access in the United States, which has held back economic development in underserved areas and became a major problem during the pandemic. Now, after years of federal subsidies that have improved but not solved the problem, the Biden administration is proposing to spend $100 billion over the next eight years to finally connect every American household to high-speed internet. But solving the problem isn’t just a matter of cutting a big check to fund the installation of fiber pipelines.

In Allendale (SC), a local public Wi-Fi network project has expanded to offer residential broadband service for families with school-age children, many of whom have struggled to keep up with school throughout the pandemic because they cannot participate in online learning.

President Biden's plan to boost broadband across the country could also be a boon to Google's internet ambitions. Biden's plan emphasizes building fiber and steering funding to community-owned networks to ensure widespread connectivity and increase competition.