In the case of muni systems, which are not-for-profit enterprises, one measure of “success” is defined as the level of their “take rate” – that is, the percentage of potential subscribers who are offered the service that actually do subscribe. Nationwide, the take rates for retail municipal systems after one to four years of operation averages 54 percent. This is much higher than larger incumbent service provider take rates, and is also well above the typical FTTH business plan usually requiring a 30-40 percent take rate to “break even” with payback periods.
Bigger Vision, Bolder Action, Brighter Future
Publication Date:
June 2, 2008 
Jim Baller and Casey Lide of the Baller Herbst Law Group produced this tremendous white paper for e-NC. It covers the importance of broadband, relationship to economic development, and offers some recommendations.
This entire site has been greatly informed by this paper. It collects many important examples of how important broadband is and the communities that have greatly benefited by taking action to build networks that responded to their needs.
Although it does not explicitly recommend public owned networks, it provides the foundation for what broadband can offer. This foundation is useful for understanding why privately owned, unaccountable networks are inferior to those that are rooted in the community.
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