Targeted Strategies

Some communities may decide to take a limited or incremental approach to a public network. A community can take an inventory to better understand its current costs of purchasing internet services at what may be a long list of locations spread across a community or county. Purchasing may even be happening by individual departments within an organization. By building a public network, a governmental entity can achieve significant long-term cost savings.

By mapping these locations and prospective fiber routes connecting them, a community can identify other prospective public-sector partners, such as schools or hospitals. By sharing large bandwidth purchases, competitive pricing can be realized by the public-sector entities. It is also possible to utilize E-Rate and other federal and state broadband funding programs to minimize local costs. This type of institutional network could be a gateway to a community-wide public network. Check with your local school or hospital administrator or IT director for details on how E-Rate funds are allocated to your community.

A community could also expand its prospective partner list to include major private-sector organizations. As an alternative, this type of aggregated customer base could also serve as an attractor for a competitive private-sector provider to enter the local market and build a citywide network. This might involve a co-build where multiple conduits are installed and the public and private sectors light up their own sets of fiber to serve their respective customer bases.

A public fiber network can also be leveraged for community and economic development benefits. A network could allow public uses such as Wi-Fi in downtowns and festival areas, create smart public infrastructure—water, sewer, traffic and streetlights, and public safety through cameras and “smart shot” applications. Bandwidth-hungry and multi-location companies might be attracted or retained in downtowns and business parks by being providing with free or affordable dark fiber connecting them to their other local or regional facilities or to major internet hubs.

Enhanced digital equity can be a major benefit of public networks. Free public Wi-Fi at community centers and other locations can be supported. Multi-family buildings can be connected, with Wi-Fi provided in common areas or to each unit through either a wired or wireless connection.