Partnerships
Through creative partnerships, local governments can leverage financial resources of other interested parties from both the public and private sectors. This option requires coordination and compromise among parties, but allows the local government to share some of the financial risk associated with the project or program.
Intergovernmental Collaboration
- Many communities finance broadband expansion projects through local or regional collaboration between governments or other public organizations.
- In 2016, the city of San Jose, California, is partnering with the East Side Union High School District to launch a free Wi-Fi network for families in the school district. In the partnership, the city will construct the network and manage installation and ongoing maintenance, while the school district will manage registration, passcodes, and support for students and families in accessing the network. The pilot program is funded by a $2.7 million allocation from the school district’s general obligation technology bond measure.
- In 2012, Arlington County, Virginia collaborated with Arlington public schools to create a high-speed network to serve the government as well as the public school community. The network was later expanded to include federal agencies and universities.
Public-Private Partnerships
- P3s represent another model for local governments to leverage external resources and share risk. In this model, the government partners with a private entity to complete the project or implement the program. These arrangements typically specify the costs and benefits that will accrue to each party at the outset of the engagement.
- Scott County, Minnesota, used a P3 approach to develop a 90-mile fiber network. The county provided the upfront deployment costs and owns the fiber network, but partners with three private network providers to maintain and manage the network. The private providers maintain the network at no cost to the county in exchange for the ability to include their own fiber strands in the buried conduit.
- NTIA’s report, BroadbandUSA: An introduction to effective public-private partnerships for broadband investments, is a valuable resource for local governments interested in this approach.