Vol 2 | Issue 6 | June 2017

Broadband Business Models: Partnerships are Key

Building a broadband network for today and the future is a complex process. There is no one-size-fits all approach and a myriad of factors should be considered when developing your broadband plan, including with whom to partner for the network deployment. Communities develop or support broadband partnerships for a variety of reasons:

• High deployment costs: Certain communities, especially those in rural areas, may confront significantly higher deployment costs due to low population density, lengthier middle mile networks or challenging terrain. A partnership can address such economic challenges through sharing capital costs and enhancing revenue potential (e.g., finding anchor tenants to aggregate community demand and removing regulatory barriers to expedite deployment).

• Anchor institution needs: Communities create partnerships to foster high-speed, affordable broadband solutions for government and community facilities (e.g., schools and libraries). These institutions may find that a network dedicated to serving such segments may lower the total cost of ownership over the long-term.

• General broadband expansion: A partnership with commercial operators can complement public funding opportunities, while also bringing technical expertise to an initiative. Successful partnerships can leverage public financing, community assets and local leadership, in collaboration with private-sector expertise and capital, to expand broadband.

For more information on developing public-private partnerships, consult BroadbandUSA: An Introduction to Effective Public-Private Partnerships for Broadband Investments, found here. To learn about examples of successful business models employed in communities across the country, including: privately owned and operated networks; publicly owned and operated networks; publicly owned and privately operated networks, join BroadbandUSA for the Practical Conversations Webinar. This month’s topic is Exploring Business Model Options for Broadband Deployment, and will be held June 21, 2017.

Broadband News Federal News

• The FCC is seeking comment on proposals to reduce regulatory barriers to broadband

State News

• North Carolina’s Governor Cooper included $20 million in his proposed budget to improve broadband access and service in underserved areas of the state

• The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau answered FAQs regarding New York’s broadband program and Connect America Phase II support

• Six Massachusetts towns won broadband infrastructure grants to build fiber-optic networks

Funding Opportunities

• The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced $17 million available in funding for the Regional Innovation Strategies program

• The Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced its Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant application window for 2017

• The Rural Health Care Program's initial filing window for FY2017 is drawing to a close

Stakeholder Resources

• The Benton Foundation released its “Digital Inclusion Outcomes-Based Evaluation” report

Industry Awards

• The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) named BroadbandUSA’s Emy Tseng the 2017 Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion

• The MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE) is soliciting nominations for its Inclusive Innovation Challenge

• Route Fifty is soliciting nominations for its Navigator Awards

Other News

• ConnectHome is adding 100 cities to its pilot program

• Charter Communications launched Spectrum Internet Assist, a new low-cost broadband program

• Community center launches ‘pop-up’ library to bring Internet to rural Virginia

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration Increasingly Vital to Digital Inclusion

New Broadband Resources

BroadbandUSA released Costs at-a-Glance: Fiber and Wireless Networks, a tool to help communities determine the potential expenditures associated with constructing a broadband network. The tool draws on information collected from NTIA’s recent broadband grant program as well as research on current market prices. It provides cost information for the four most common types of network deployments: buried fiber, coaxial cable, aerial fiber and microwave deployment. Access the tool here.

BroadbandUSA Spotlight

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition held its Seventh Annual Conference: United States of Anchors on May 31-June 2 in Crystal City, VA. Leaders from a range of sectors, including healthcare, education, government and broadband service providers convened to discuss key policy issues. The conference featured in-depth workshops on E-Rate Fiber, Public-Private Partnerships, Digital Inclusion and Rural Healthcare. BroadbandUSA’s Laura Spining spoke at the conference.

Webinars

BroadbandUSA Practical Broadband Conversations Webinar Series Topic: Exploring Business Model Options for Broadband Deployment Date: Wednesday, June 21 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT Overview: There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to deploying broadband in communities, and this includes consideration of broadband business models. Join a conversation on successful broadband projects that will highlight three approaches that network owners have used to achieve their communities’ connectivity goals. The models include: a) Private owned and operated; b) Public owned and operated; c) Public owned and private operated. Representatives from network providers who have successfully employed each model will discuss the rationale for choosing a particular strategy, key benefits and trade-offs.

Events

NTIA Events

June 21, 2017
BroadbandUSA Practical Conversations: Exploring Business Model Options for Broadband Deployment
BroadbandUSA will host the next webinar in its Broadband Practical Conversation series. Click here to learn more.

Events of Interest

June 4-6, 2017
International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Economic Future Forum
IEDC will host its Economic Future Forum in Little Rock, AR. Click here to learn more.

June 15, 2017
Council on Foundations “How Essential is Broadband in Your Community?” Webinar
BroadbandUSA’s Karen Hanson will present during the webinar. Click here to learn more.

June 21, 2017
INCOMPAS and Morgan Lewis Bockius’s Competitive Fiber Summit
BroadbandUSA’s Doug Kinkoph will speak at the summit in Washington, DC. Click here to learn more.

June 21, 2017
Bloomberg Government’s NEXT Infrastructure
BroadbandUSA’s Aimee Meacham will speak at this event in in Washington, DC. Click here to learn more.

June 25-28, 2017
2017 Smart Cities Connect Conference & Expo
BroadbandUSA’s Jean Rice will speak at the conference in Austin, TX. Click here to learn more.

Policy Corner

President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate David J. Redl to be Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce.

Contact Us

If you are interested in receiving technical assistance, email broadbandusa@ntiadoc.gov or call 202-482-2048.