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Fast, affordable Internet access for all.
New Resource: Our New Community Network Map Shows the Explosion of Publicly Owned Networks
By
on
In 2011, we built our first map showing where community-owned networks were located across the United States. At the time, it aimed to illustrate what we knew to be true: that more than 100 communities were choosing to fill the local broadband marketplace by building and/or operating their own networks.
The goal was twofold: to highlight the work local governments were doing to fix the broken broadband market in their communities, and collect in one place the breadth, depth, and variety of community-owned networks. Over time, we added Tribal networks, and those operated by telephone and electric cooperatives.
Today we release a new version of our Community Networks Map, showing where municipal networks operate across the United States and how they are bringing new, more affordable service and competition to communities around the country. From 130 networks covering a similar number of communities in 2011, the new map shows that municipally owned Internet service providers now total more than 400 networks covering more than 700 communities. A third of those networks provide high-speed Internet access to nearly every address in the communities where they are located.
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This map is interactive, with filters to let users display networks by business model and community population, as well as show communities where publicly owned infrastructure is citywide, the presence of partnerships, and where there is 10-gigabit service being offered. Use the search bar at the top right to find a network or community.
Municipal Network Trends
What else can we see as a result of the last 13 years of hard work by cities and towns across the country?
- The rising tide of municipal broadband. Between 2001 and 2008, an average of six new municipal networks came online per year. Contrast that with the last 10 years, which has seen that average jump to 15 new networks per year – even when accounting for the slump caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 16 states still restrict or ban cities from building and operating their own telecommunications infrastructure. But in the last three years, Washington, Arkansas, and Minnesota have removed their preemption laws.
- Municipal networks serving their neighbors are increasing. Utah’s UTOPIA Fiber serves 22 different communities. EPB Fiber in Tennessee serves nine. In Vermont, new public partnerships between more than 200 communities will see an explosion of publicly owned infrastructure there.
- But it’s not all about size. Iowa, Massachusetts, and Tennessee boast the highest number of (mostly small) municipal networks in the nation in their respective states.
- Open access networks, which supercharge competition and benefit households, are also on the rise. Today, almost 200 communities are served by an open access network.
- Municipal networks are often rural, mostly small, and always mighty. The average community served is just 16,000 people. However, almost a quarter of the networks we track offer 10 gigabit-per-second service (Gbps), and many operate low-cost plans to help households facing economic challenges.
Navigating The Map
If you zoom in you’ll see networks that cover more than one community connected by a web. Click on any community to see the network that serves it and the business model(s) that are operational. Toggle between Light and Dark Mode, use the Export to PDF button to print what is being displayed on your screen, or the Reset Filters button to return to the map’s default state.
The engine behind this map is equally exciting, and comes from a new custom database we’ve been building which allows us to track the life cycle of community networks in more detail than ever before. We have big plans for the future, including adding Tribal networks, with telephone and electric cooperative networks to follow.
See a missing community, or have a correction? Email me at ry@ilsr.org.
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