What are you trying to do

One of the first tasks that community leaders must perform prior to launching into a full-fledged broadband initiative is to decide exactly “what” is to be accomplished by deploying a network and “who” will receive service?

Communities deploy broadband networks for a variety of reasons.  Some seek to accomplish a specific objective such as increased economic development opportunities, citizen empowerment, enhanced quality of life, or community revitalization, while others simply seek to blanket their geographic area with broadband services – for whatever purpose.

While both approaches result in un-served constituents receiving the broadband services they so badly desire, those that take the opportunity to understand the community landscape and plan the network based on specific outcomes typically make more informed technology choices and are better equipped to defend the investment of scarce public resources into a broadband initiative.

To learn more about “why” communities undertake broadband deployments and “what” benefits are being realized, consult:

Issues in Economic Policy  (Brookings Institution):The Effects of Broadband  Deployment on Output and Employment (pdf)
A Cross-sectional Analysis of U.S. Data; Robert Crandall, William Lehr and Robert Litan (2007)

Measuring Broadband’s Economic Impact (pdf)
Final Report, prepared for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.  National Technical Assistance, Training, Research, and Evaluation Project #99-07-13829 (2006)

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