Connectivity is a necessity in today’s digital world. Economic opportunity, educational advancement, health and safety, social mobility, and civic engagement are increasingly tied to the widespread availability of high-speed digital communication.
Broadband is often discussed as a “common good,” which is defined as something that a community provides to all members in order to fulfill a collective obligation to care for certain interests that all members have in common. Examples of common goods include roadways, public safety services, a judicial system, public schools, parks, cultural institutions, and public transportation, as well as clean air and water.
Whether through ubiquitous broadband or the promise of 5G mobile connectivity, these networks are underpinned by the fiber optic infrastructure that serves as the necessary communications backhaul. This infrastructure investment is capital-intensive and complex, given the intermingled business and physical network landscape of incumbent mobile carriers, third-party dark fiber organizations, publicly-owned fiber assets and right-of-way access.
Historically, telecommunication service providers have funded fiber-network construction based on their ability to generate a return on investment (ROI). While this funding model has worked for decades to expand high-speed broadband and cellular connectivity to their current levels across the U.S., shifting public expectations have born the questions of whether this model can continue to meet the growing demand for service and who is responsible for this common good.
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