New Report Details Public-Private Partnership Strategies for Community Broadband Buildout in Wake of COVID-19 Pandemic

CTC Technology & Energy report highlights unprecedented and unexpected opportunities for localities and service providers to best utilize new federal funding

NATIONWIDE — A new report released today by CTC Technology & Energy (CTC) and commissioned by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) details key public-private partnership strategies that have proven successful in localities’ ability to work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deploy broadband in rural and other overlooked communities. The report, “The era of the broadband public-private partnership: New collaborative trends and opportunities in the wake of Covid-19,” comes as cities and counties nationwide harness American Rescue Plan funds to deploy broadband in underserved neighborhoods. The report also comes on the heels of the recently passed infrastructure bill, which allocates $42 billion in new federal funding for broadband deployment and requires states and localities to collaborate on five-year action plans to further bridge the digital divide.

The report directs local governments to effective strategies in broadband buildout by highlighting eight case studies on two primary business models that have seen success across Kentucky, Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, and New England in broadband buildout in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In recent years, there has been remarkable innovation and creativity at the local level, as local governments and their private partners develop new ways of addressing broadband gaps through win-win collaborations," said President of CTC Technology & Energy Joanne Hovis. "Now, with broadband deemed an essential resource for pandemic recovery, as well as for school, work, and American life more generally, this trend of collaboration becomes that much more critical and should only continue to grow in coming years.”

Historically, service providers’ private capital has focused on already-served, high-return markets, and public capital has gone to unserved markets lacking ROI for providers. CTC’s new report identifies potential opportunities for public-private partnerships that can attract private investment to areas where financial return may be low, but can be improved through collaboration with the local community.

“With new federal funding for broadband, local governments have an unprecedented opportunity to expand internet access to the residents who need it most. The key to success is partnership with experienced broadband providers that can deliver high quality service,” said CWA President Chris Shelton. “Communities can use their procurement authority to determine where broadband is most needed and ensure the buildout is done right. This means working with companies that employ highly trained and experienced local union workers who know the area and the infrastructure. It also means building out high-speed fiber connections that can provide the necessary bandwidth today and in the future to meet households’ growing data needs.”

The report proposes a number of practical and strategic considerations for what local governments should be doing to take advantage of these opportunities, including:

1. Act expeditiously: governments should move quickly on engaging planning and funding specialists and state-level resources, and reviewing local assets, needs, and practices to ensure they will maximize the interest of potential private collaborators;
2. Avoid snake-oil, unenforceable promises, and unrealistic projections: communities must be proactive when confirming proposals from private companies, and must test network performance before investing;
3. Include workforce opportunities and training requirements: communities should collaborate with the existing local telecom workforce and increase the participation of its local labor pool in the broadband industry;
4. Develop the partnership to reflect best-in-class broadband infrastructure goals: this collaboration should focus on developing community-wide fiber-to-the-premises connectivity; and
5. Insist on qualifications, standards, and best practices that promote quality and safety for both workers and the public.

With broadband recognized as an essential resource amid the pandemic, interest in and funding towards developing these partnerships by states, the federal government, and ISPs is only growing. Local governments now have an opportunity to lead deployment, as opposed to being subject to the decisions of ISPs on where to build, and ensure that all communities, in particular lower-income and rural areas, have strong, reliable access.

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About CTC Technology & Energy:

CTC Technology & Energy is an independent communications and IT engineering consulting firm with more than 30 years of experience. We work at the highest levels on cutting-edge communications networking projects for public sector and non-profit clients throughout the U.S.

About Communications Workers of America:

The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, and manufacturing.