It's a startling fact: Fewer than 10% of all planned fiber/broadband projects get the green light. Communities have been spending millions on broadband feasibility and engineering studies that just sit on the shelf.
Yet, we know that broadband is critical infrastructure to build our nation's economy and to create jobs that serve to bridge our nation's widening economic and digital divide.
There's a lot riding on our nation's ability to deploy high-speed broadband, but communities are missing the mark on engaging key stakeholders (voters!), building political will, and finding funding sources (often hidden in plain sight).
I was joined in on stage today in Atlanta at the Broadband Communities Magazine Economic Development Conference by Michael Curri, founder and president of Strategic Networks Group, the industry's leading broadband economists, and by Isak Finér, Chief Marketing Officer, COS Systems, the industry's leader in broadband demand aggregation. Together, we presented a new model for community engagement to:
-Engage the community
-Grow political will
-Find funding
We challenged those in attendance to think differently about how they approach broadband deployment in their community, and showed them how to build the political capital to get projects approved and funded. More on this in an upcoming blog post.
List of Grant Sources
Your broadband project will likely be funded through a variety of public and private sources -- from seed funding for consultants, data, and marketing to the bonding a deployment -- no two communities will be alike. We encourage you to think big, to think outside-the-box when it comes to going after funding sources.
Mary Scott Nabers is the president of Strategic Partnerships in Austin, Texas. Mary is an international leader in the development of public-private partnerships and her firm specializes in helping entities find funding sources. Here's a list of funding sources she recommends to communities:
Qualified Public Infrastructure Bonds (QPIBs) – airports, ports, mass transit, water and more
Let's keep the conversation going about community engagement. I'd love to hear your thoughts. We might even be able to help you in your process: bknight@harrison-edwardspr.com