Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
AAPB Launches New Mentorship Program For Communities Considering Municipal Broadband
As interest in municipal broadband continues to grow across the U.S., the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB) has launched a mentorship program that will pair communities interested in building publicly-owned, locally controlled broadband networks with cities and towns that have successfully done so.
“We’re excited to match AAPB members with communities seeking to take control of their broadband futures,” AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn said in announcing the program.
“We want to demystify the process for those communities that want to ensure that everyone in their city or town has affordable access to everything that broadband enables, and we believe that our members that own their broadband infrastructure are the best people to do that.”
While an increasing number of communities are exploring municipal broadband as a solution to local connectivity challenges after decades of frustration with the spotty, expensive service of big monopoly providers consistently ranked as among the most hated companies in America, local officials still must navigate the logistical, technical, financial, and political challenges associated with building and operating municipal networks.
The AAPB mentorship program is the second major tool that the national nonprofit organization has created this year to assist communities in advancing a model that typically leads to lower prices, faster speeds, and more reliable service for end-users.
Mission Possible: Double The Number of Public Networks
Earlier this year, AAPB published a guide for local officials on “How To Build a Public Broadband Network,” which is packed with analysis, practical advice, and lessons learned on everything from feasibility studies to business models to financing to marketing, as well as case studies.
The publication of that guide was followed by a webinar series that featured conversations with industry experts on the factors that go into deciding whether to embark on a path of building publicly-owned broadband infrastructure.
Currently, there are more than 400 municipal networks serving over 700 communities in 33 different states across the nation – a third of whom are providing high-speed Internet access to nearly every address in their service territories. The newly established mentorship program is in keeping with AAPB’s goal to “double the number of public networks in the next five years.”
To make public broadband more accessible, AAPB notes, the mentorship program is open to any interested city or town with no obligation to become an AAPB member.
How To Sign Up
To facilitate potential participants to sign-up for the program, AAPB has created an online portal.
Local officials with established municipal broadband networks interested in being a mentor to another community (with several hours per month to provide feedback and be available to answer questions from inquiring communities) can apply here.
Mentees hoping to connect with a mentor community can apply here.
Header image of fist bump over computer desk courtesy of RawPixel Ltd, Public Domain List
Inline image of fiber network build courtesy of Pulse Fiber in Loveland, CO