Of course there is the argument that government should stay out of the way when it comes to broadband. Sometimes it is easy to forget how much the private industry benefits when government steps in to provide or facilitate basic infrastructure. Private industry benefits tremendously from our road systems, reliable power infrastructure, clean water, sewer systems and public safety. A robust, ubiquitous high-speed broadband infrastructure will facilitate interactions between businesses, allows private industry to deliver new and innovative services to customers and allows employees to be productive where ever they are at.
Community Broadband Network Map
Citywide Cable/HFC  |
Citywide FTTH  |
Partial Fiber  |
Read the report released with this map.
Read the Press Release.
About the Community Broadband Map
Updated April 5, 2011: Thank you to all who have written in with comments, suggestions, and criticisms. We have added publicly owned networks that offer partial coverage of a community to the map. We have individually marked each community served by a network (for instance, we previously had a single marker for each Washington state PUD rather than marking each community with service). As before, feel free to contact us with additions and corrections.
Around the United States, hundreds of communities have made substantial investments into telecommunications networks. These investments range from the nation's largest FTTH network in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the hundreds of local governments that built networks to connect schools and community anchors.
This is the first map to comprehensively show the broadband networks that are structurally designed to meet community needs first. Most of the networks are owned by local governments, but nonprofit networks will also be incorporated over time.
Currently, the map shows publicly owned broadband networks that are offering FTTH on a citywide (or close to it) basis to residents and businesses (red markers). Additionally, it shows the citywide cable networks owned by local governments across the nation (blue markers). The markers half-filled with orange designate publicly owned networks serving some residents and/or businesses (some of these have plans to eventually offer universal coverage in the community).
In due course, the map will show broadband stimulus projects with a community focus, publicly owned institutional networks, and community wireless networks.
If you want more information about a specific networks, check if we have tagged it in a previous post, search our site for it, or check another source of information such as the excellent database maintained by Broadband Properties Magazine. You may also be interested in our Community Broadband Preemption Map focusing on state laws.
For general information about community networks, read our comprehensive report, Breaking the Broadband Monopoly: How Communities Are Building the Networks They Need.
Please do let us know if we missed any community networks or if you want to report an error. Stay up to date with information about these networks by following us on Twitter, fanning us on Facebook, and/or subscribing to our RSS feed.
Credit for this map should be given to Eric James for designing it while interning with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The data comes from a combination of sources, notably Broadband Properties Magazine, FTTH Council, Jim Baller, and information collected for years by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
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Comments
power to the people!
About a year and a half ago we found ourselves on the market for a house. At the time we lived in Clayton, NC.
When I found out what the city of Wilson, NC had done since the time I had left working a contract position as a DSL field tech for the local phone company and took another job, we got really excited and decided Wilson was where we would be buying our house.
Since then, we have been extremely pleased with the services provided by Greenlight. I don't know how many people around Wilson, NC might have occasion to read this, so I'll step back and make this a bit more general. Because it really should be applicable anywhere else people are trying to put these local municipal broadband networks together.
Folks you should support efforts like this being made in your community. And if there are not efforts like this being made in your community, if you feel strongly about it, start talking to your friends and neighbors - and more importantly your local elected officials.
There are so many ways this is a "win win" situation. One, it is possible for municipalities to get very, very good rates from major bandwidth providers such as Level3, etc. And although your local municipality would have to make a profit to operate, hire local support staff, engineers, etc., service can often be provided at rates that, well, make the "big private companies" shake in their shoes. It's not that they can't provide competitive rates, it's just that they don't really HAVE to when there is no real competition. it's easy to make a bunch of people in a "market" believe myths like "oh, c'mon nobody really needs 100 megabit internet service." Or, "regular people don't need a lot of upstream/upload bandwidth. Only businesses need that." Or so many other myths -- when there is nobody offering service in that "market" playing by a set of rules that put YOU first rather than their bottom line.
The biggest win is that you can support your local community, and get service and support from local people. As a customer, and also as a highly-experienced (at least once upon a time) broadband technician who had to deal with the support folks on the phone sometimes too, I can tell you it makes a huge difference to be able to work with local people. I suppose there might be some places that might consider doing something like this and then outsourcing their support, but I'm guessing that wouldn't be very common. This seems to be one of the main complaints so many people have with "the big companies".
Anyway, I'll wrap this up but I just wanted to say, folks this is one way that you can definitely make a difference. Support your local municipal broadband project.
Could a static version of
Could a static version of this map be made available, on this web page? My browser simply shows an error stating that Javascript is required to view the map.
Static Images
Yes, Google Maps does require javascript. I'm pasting a static image below, but note that the actual map above has information available when clicking on the markers as well as the ability to zoom and pan.
Hawaii
Aloha,
Just wondering if you have come across any data for Hawaii? I personally only know of proprietary fiber being laid here in Maui, but I believe it was funded through OHA (Office of Hawaiian Affairs) grants. I also have heard that there are some municipal buildings that have a fiber connection, but don't know the details of that.
Great job on the map guys!
Mahalo,
Randy Mills
Akaku: Maui Community Television
No data
Sorry - I don't recall seeing anything about Hawaii yet. Check back occasionally though - if we find anything, we'll put it up. And if you find anyting, be sure to let us know!
Public Fiber
State cable franchises in Hawai'i required that Time Warner provide dedicated fiber to the State. The original franchise documents will show this - for example - Maui County secured fifty locations, including every fire station and school with dark fiber...
When local advocates, including Akaku, pursued the development of community broadband networks using that public fiber asset, the corrupt State regulator at Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs apparently secured side deals and Attorney General opinions to reduce the dedicated fiber network to a service connection ...
It may take some time to dig through the files and follow that trail - but given the corrupt and opaque nature of DCCA under the Cayetano and Lingle Administrations, you may find buried treasure in the dung heap!
What does HFC stand for?
What does HFC (on the map legend) stand for?
Thanks.
HFC
If you hover over your comment, you'll see a definition from our glossary (not that you could have done that before you posted the comment). It is a mix of cable and fiber-optics.
Thanks.
I appreciate it. :)
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