Broadband Communities (ISSN 0745-8711) (USPS 679-050) (Publication Is the Best Broadband.” Indeed
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FIBER: TRANSFORMING THE POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY Secure your position now so that promotion of your participation begins immediately. See who’s already decided to do so: PLATINUM SPONSOR: ENHANCED GOLD SPONSORS: HOUSTON GOLD SPONSORS: SILVER SPONSORS: SEPT 27-30 MARRIOTT MARQUIS FEATURED SPONSOR: MEET At BBC Summit 2021, we're excited to meet again in person with a focus on rekindling our connections and taking ACTION in a EXHIBITORS: ENGAGE post-pandemic economy. It's about both experienced and new voices driving change, innovation, and evolution in the broadband business to create a more connected future. DO Register now and get ready to DO MORE. NEW FOCUS AREAS & FEATURES Industry Power Players • Up-and-Coming Voices • Legislative Action Entertainment Industry • Roundtable Problem-Solving Sessions Office Hours for Speakers & Industry Leaders $350 Houston2021 Special Discounted Rate: Use VIP Code: To exhibit or sponsor, contact: Irene Prescott at [email protected], or call 505-867-3299 (Save $600 off regular Summit price of $950) Offer expires May 31, 2021 FIBER: TRANSFORMING THE POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY Secure your position now so that promotion of your participation begins immediately. See who’s already decided to do so: PLATINUM SPONSOR: ENHANCED GOLD SPONSORS: HOUSTON GOLD SPONSORS: SILVER SPONSORS: SEPT 27-30 MARRIOTT MARQUIS FEATURED SPONSOR: MEET At BBC Summit 2021, we're excited to meet again in person with a focus on rekindling EXHIBITORS: our connections and taking ACTION in a ENGAGE post-pandemic economy. It's about both experienced and new voices driving change, innovation, and evolution in the broadband business to create a more connected future. DO Register now and get ready to DO MORE. NEW FOCUS AREAS & FEATURES Industry Power Players • Up-and-Coming Voices • Legislative Action Entertainment Industry • Roundtable Problem-Solving Sessions Office Hours for Speakers & Industry Leaders $350 Houston2021 Special Discounted Rate: Use VIP Code: To exhibit or sponsor, contact: Irene Prescott at [email protected], or call 505-867-3299 (Save $600 off regular Summit price of $950) Offer expires May 31, 2021 EDITOR’S NOTE Local Broadband Keeps CEO Barbara DeGarmo / [email protected] Community Dollars PUBLISHER Nancy McCain / [email protected] Flowing EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sean Buckley / [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Masha Zager / [email protected] EDITOR-AT-LARGE Broadband gives communities an opportunity to stay relevant. Steven S. Ross / [email protected] COPY CHIEF Eli Penberthy / [email protected] hen I think about how gigabit internet and phone service to ADVERTISING SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE broadband can drive every home and business on the island. Irene Prescott / [email protected] W community economic The networks in these small EVENTS COORDINATOR development and job creation, I recall towns and others like them across the Dennise Argil / [email protected] my job interview with Sean Griffey, country have the potential to improve MULTIFAMILY NEWS CORRESPONDENT former CEO of Fierce Markets. When local business productivity, enable Valerie M. Sargent / [email protected] I asked why most staff in the telecom telecommuting, drive job creation, ART DIRECTOR group worked remotely, his response and entice younger people to stay. Karry Thomas was simple: “I want to attract the They also can draw new residents, CONTRIBUTORS best people.” encourage tourism, and strengthen Rollie Cole, Sagamore Institute for Griffey was ahead of his time in real estate markets. Policy Research understanding that work does not David Daugherty, Clarus Broadband have to be tied to one location. Flash FOCUS ON LOCAL BROADBAND Heather Burnett Gold, HBG Strategies Joanne Hovis, CTC Technology & Energy forward to 2020, when the COVID-19 For all the possibilities broadband Trevor Jones, OTELCO pandemic drove a sharp increase in brings to smaller communities, Michael A. Kashmer, Digital Broadband the number of remote workers who the key challenge is that Tier-1 Programming Consultant now depend on bandwidth-hungry service providers don’t often address W. James MacNaughton, Esq. Christopher Mitchell, Institute for videoconferencing applications, such communities’ unique needs. Local Self-Reliance as Zoom. The Broadband Equity Partnership Bryan Rader, UpStream Network A recent Statista survey revealed found in its national survey of Craig Settles, Gigabit Nation that only 17 percent of respondents community leaders that although worked remotely five days a week before large ISPs received a large portion of BROADBAND PROPERTIES LLC the pandemic, but that figure has since federal funding from programs such as CEO jumped to 44 percent. the Connect America Fund and now Barbara DeGarmo In this issue of BROADBAND the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNITIES – my first as editor-in- respondents favored local, smaller ISPs BUSINESS & OPERATIONS chief – we look at communities using Nancy McCain as potential partners. broadband to keep themselves relevant Dr. Christopher Ali, associate BUSINESS & EDITORIAL OFFICE in an increasingly online world. professor in the department of media BROADBAND PROPERTIES LLC For example, after it could 1909 Avenue G • Rosenberg, TX 77471 studies at the University of Virginia, 281.342.9655 • Fax 281.342.1158 not strike a deal with its two summed it up best during the recent incumbent providers, Bristol, www.broadbandcommunities.com Senate Commerce Committee New Hampshire, launched an broadband hearing: “Local broadband initiative to deliver symmetrical fiber Broadband Communities (ISSN 0745-8711) (USPS 679-050) (Publication is the best broadband.” Indeed. Mail Agreement #1271091) is published 7 times a year at a rate of $24 per year internet to residents and connect By keeping broadband local, by Broadband Properties LLC, 1909 Avenue G, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Periodical businesses, municipal buildings and communities can reinvest savings to postage paid at Rosenberg, TX, and additional mailing offices. educational facilities in the town and POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Broadband Communities, keep community dollars flowing in nearby university. PO Box 303, Congers, NY 10920-9852. their local economies. v CANADA POST: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns Other towns, such as the tourist to be sent to Bleuchip International, PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Copyright © 2021 Broadband Properties LLC. All rights reserved. destination New Shoreham, Rhode Island, committed to build an $8 million fiber-to-the-premises network to replace slow DSL and satellite with [email protected] 2 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | MARCH/APRIL 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS COVER SECTION: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THIS ISSUE 22 National Efforts to Close the Digital Divide PROVIDER Require Local Empowerment / PERSPECTIVE By Ariel Benjamin, Erman Eruz, Danny Fuchs and David Gilford, HR&A Advisors 10 Multifamily Broadband Gets a Shot in the Arm / 26 Broadband Essential to Post-Pandemic Economies / By Bryan J. Rader, Single Digits By Craig Settles, CJ Speaks Broadband remains the glue that holds the multifamily 30 A Fiber Network Spurs a New Northern New Hampshire broadband industry together. Tech Corridor / By Sean Buckley, Broadband Communities CONNECTIVITY 36 Rural Communities Launch Publicly Owned MATTERS Fiber Networks / By Michael A. Solitro, Sertex Broadband Solutions 12 The New Face of Economic Development / 40 A Michigan FTTH Network Rebuild Sets Stage for By Trevor Jones, OTELCO Greater Bandwidth, Smart-City Applications / The pandemic has redefined By Sean Buckley, Broadband Communities economic development for many rural communities. FEATURES MULTIFAMILY BROADBAND FTTH DEPLOYMENT INDUSTRY ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY Gigabit Fiber Comes to Los LEO Satellites: A Path to 44 72 How the Pandemic Altos Hills / By Masha Zager, Nowhere? / By Deborah Kish, 14 Created Urgency for Broadband Communities Fiber Broadband Association Smart-Tech Adoption / Pandemic Spurs By Kevin Donnelly, NMHC CONFERENCE COVERAGE 76 and Valerie M. Sargent, Broadband Bump / Broadband Communities 48 INCOMPAS 2021 Policy By Bruce Forey, BroadMax Group Summit Highlights / Seamless connectivity is more By Sean Buckley, Three Big Telco important as intelligent- 78 home needs rise. Broadband Communities Predictions for 2021 / By Pravin S. Bhandarkar, RtBrick PROPERTY OF 80 Can You Trust Your Business THE MONTH Case for Broadband HOT PRODUCTS Closing the Digital Expansion? / By Raj Singh, VCTI 16 56 BROADBAND COMMUNITIES’ Divide for Low-Income 20th Annual List of Leading and Special-Needs Broadband Technologies Residents: Main Street and Services Visit www.bbcmag.com for Connect / By Sean Buckley, up-to-the-minute news of broadband trends, technologies and deployments Broadband Communities twitter.com/bbcmag The Maryland apartment complex offers symmetrical TECHNOLOGY 50 Mbps internet. 64 Building Competitive ABOUT THE COVER Advantage with Automation / DEPARTMENTS By Sean Robertson, ADTRAN New York artist Irving Grunbaum EDITOR’S NOTE 66 The Key to Boosting Network and his neighbors 2 NEW BEGINNINGS Resilience? It’s in the Data / are finding new 6 By Gordon Smith, Sagent economic benefits 8 BANDWIDTH HAWK with broadband. 68 G.hn Is Vital to Gigabit 82 MARKETPLACE ADS Broadband Services Rollouts / 84 ADVERTISER INDEX / By Livia Rosu, HomeGrid Forum CALENDAR 4 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | MARCH/APRIL 2021 Exceed residents’ expectations with faster WiFi Set your property apart and attract the residents you really