Access, Range, Partnerships, Adoption: Case Studies of U.S. Broadband Expansion Projects
Melody Chen, Edward Guo, Divine Maduakolam, Duxixi Shen, Jane Bowman Brady,and Samuel Olafare Olagbaju
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted mandatory state stay-at-home orders and highlighted the need for municipalities to improve and expand internet access with fiber optic technology. With a historic $65B in federal funding, localities are employing innovative approaches to enhance local broadband connectivity. Our research group studied numerous cases across the United States and found that a lack of funding and political will, along with incumbent Internet Service Provider (ISP) resistance, were major impediments to expanding broadband internet. From our five selected cases, we learned that innovative partnerships helped resolve these challenges while providing local governments with numerous benefits such as increased funding, outside management expertise, and strategies to mitigate state preemption.
Chen, M., Guo, E., Maduakolam, D., Shen, D., Bowman Brady, J., Olafare Olagbaju, S. (2022). Access, Range, Partnerships, Adoption: Case Studies of U.S. Broadband Expansion Projects. Department of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University. Full Report | Issue Brief | Slides
