of the do-it-yourself dept
We’ve long examined how powerful regional broadband monopolies have dominated America, resulting in poor access, high prices, slow speeds and poor customer service. We also discussed at length how the US government has done little to actually solve the problem, ranging from outright coddling monopolies (Trump) to performative solutions (the Biden FCC) that don’t focus on monopoly power.
As a result, a growing number of cities are building and managing their own broadband networks (or partnering with someone who wants to). That includes Superior, Wisconsin, where the locals live recently launched their first community-owned open access fiber optic network. The network offers symmetric gigabit speeds at prices much lower than what local monopolies offer:
“Stephanie Becken, the city’s broadband manager, told WPR’s “Wisconsin today”that the new network has been a game-changer for Superior. Previously, residents were limited to a handful of existing internet providers in the area, and connectivity could be spotty because those companies had not invested in updated infrastructure.”
Because the network has open access, multiple ISPs can join and compete on the same central infrastructure. At this moment two providers offer service to localsbut this number is expected to increase over time. We explored how this model could be used to boost competition in long-neglected U.S. broadband markets in our 2022 Copia report.
This particular network was built thanks to broadband grants provided as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, which has helped fund many community-owned networks. It’s exactly the kind of efficient, government-supported “abundance” that guys like Ezra Klein say they’re looking for.
Superior’s success comes despite Wisconsin being one of them 16 US states that have passed state legislation – usually ghost-written by regional telecom monopolies – making it extra difficult to build, finance and expand community-owned broadband networks.
These monopolistic providers—who routinely receive billions of dollars in subsidies for broadband networks that are mysteriously always only half deployed—enjoy trying to tell scary stories about how such community-owned broadband networks pose a serious, existential threat to taxpayers. Often companies like Charter will even set up fake consumer groups to scare locals away from the idea.
In the real world, data routinely indicates that community-owned broadband networks offer better, cheaper, and faster broadband (at more transparent prices) than anything AT&T, Comcast, Charter, or Verizon has to offer. And the idea received a huge popularity boost during the COVID-19 crisis, when many Americans in lockdown got a brutal reminder of the subpar nature of American broadband in general.
All told, there are now more than 400 community-owned broadband networks serving more than 700 U.S. towns and cities across the country. And now that the Trump administration has taken a hatchet to essentially combat all federal oversight of the big telecom companies, the highly organic, local movement shows no signs of slowing down.
Filed Under: broadband, competition, municipal broadband, open access, superior, telecom, Wisconsin
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