Public Infrastructure/Private Service Model for 21st Century Broadband Proves Worthy

Keller and Heckman Partner Jim Baller co-authored the Broadband Communities article, “Public Infrastructure/Private Service Model for 21st Century Broadband Proves Worthy.” The article discusses how communities that lack the expertise or interest to operate networks or act as internet service providers (ISPs) themselves can own and control the core communications assets in their communities as a means of securing the benefits of broadband internet.

For purposes of economic development and competitiveness, innovation, workforce preparedness, health care, education, and environmental sustainability, broadband networks rank among the most important infrastructure assets. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the U.S. economy, households with fast connections were able to continue working and attending classes online while unconnected households found themselves more cut off than ever.

The United States faces persistent gaps in broadband availability and affordability – as well as a troublingly noncompetitive broadband ecosystem in which most communities are served by only one or two high-speed broadband providers. These gaps demonstrate that private-sector investment alone is not closing digital gaps. In rural areas of the country and in many “urban deserts,” there’s an insufficient return on investment for private capital.  Public-private partnerships can play a significant role in accelerating broadband deployment, adoption, and use in these and other areas.

To read the article as published in Broadband Communities, please click here. For the more extensive original version published by the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, please click here.