States Must Share Internet Bandwidth With Local Governments for Higher Speeds and Big Savings

[Commentary] From deploying VoIP to offering online training or other cloud-based solutions, Internet and intranet use is exploding. Despite a steady drop in prices, public CIOs can't keep up with the growing demand from customers and their new, bandwidth-hungry applications. What's to be done with shrinking technology budgets? For decades we've known that bundling bandwidth can save dollars. This means that new opportunities to partner, by sharing networks between state and local governments, have never been more financially or technologically compelling. Our greatest challenge is governance. Local government CIOs may be thinking: Why do I want to share my network with the state? This connectivity isn't free. What's in it for me? I don't trust the state (or the feds, for that matter). What about security, service-level agreements (SLAs), demarcation points, staffing or a host of other issues? These discussions must be addressed in memorandums of understanding between governments.