Municipal Networks

The New York City Public Advocate’s Office recently released an “Internet for All” Plan that, among many other things, recommends spending more than $2 billion to build a city-owned open-access municipal fiber network across the five boroughs. The Plan also suggests that the city explore ways to potentially seize infrastructure owned by a private electric utility, Con Edison, via eminent domain to support this initiative.

Gigi Sohn joins Nicole Ferraro to discuss a recent effort by the community of Longmeadow (MA) to construct and launch a town-owned fiber network, until the project was defeated with a town vote rejecting a measure to fund construction.

An hour outside the state capital, with one-tenth the population, Wilson, North Carolina, is known for the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, vinegary barbecue, and excellent, affordable internet service.

Supporters of an effort to build a municipal fiber broadband network in Longmeadow (MA) suffered a defeat when a town vote to fund the first phase of network construction failed. According to those involved, that failure followed a well-funded "dark money" opposition campaign, believed to be connected to Comcast. But advocates of the network say they hope to try again.

More than 700 communities across the U.S. are served by some type of municipal broadband network that provides its residents with internet services. In simple terms, a municipal broadband network is an internet service provider that is owned and operated by the local city or county government or a municipal utility rather than a private company like Comcast or AT&T.

A recent report, From Gig City to Quantum City: The Value of Fiber Optic Infrastructure in Hamilton County, TN 2011-2035, quantifies the benefit of the citywide municipal fiber network to the City of Chattanooga (TN). The fiber network is operated by EPB, the electric and fiber utility owned by the City of Chattanooga.

Sertex Broadband Solutions has been awarded a $1.58 million contract to expand Vermont’s Deerfield Valley Communications Union District (DVFiber) fiber-to-the-home network across five towns in southeastern Vermont. The expansion project includes approximately 60 miles of new fiber construction in West Brattleboro, Dummerston, Marlboro, Newfane, and Guilford (VT).

Something remarkable happened in Western Massachusetts in 2018. Over the course of just four months that year, two new municipal fiber networks lit up in tiny towns in the leastdensely populated part of the state. In 2019, three more small towns in the region brought networks online. The next year, seven more communities followed suit. Another seven joined them the following year. Over the course of just four years, 19 towns launched municipal broadband networks, bringing ubiquitous, high-speed Internet access to their communities.

The Trump administration revised the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program in June to shift from a fiber-focused program to a tech-neutral one prioritizing low costs.

The American Association for Public Broadband announced that Joshua Edmonds, Chief Executive Officer of DigitalC, has joined its Board of Directors. “Joshua brings exactly what this moment demands: on-the-ground execution, community trust, and a clear vision for closing the digital divide,” said Gigi Sohn, Executive Director of AAPB. “His leadership at DigitalC shows how communities can build affordable, reliable networks that deliver real results.