Community Broadband
Helping Communities Bridge the Broadband Gap
Ubiquitous access to high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband communications is no longer a luxury but an absolute necessity. Broadband access is critical to commerce, education, healthcare, and public safety. Unfortunately, access to reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband service is unattainable for many people living in rural areas of the country.
Recognizing this, the federal government has made available billions of dollars to enable state and local governments to deploy community broadband networks to such areas.
Helping Clients Capitalize on Today’s Broadband Opportunity
To maximize the funding opportunity, strategic plans that detail the current broadband environment must be developed that identify how broadband infrastructure deployment will improve broadband access to residents, businesses, educational institutions, and healthcare institutions. MCP can help our clients:
- Position their project in the best possible way to receive funding
- Ensure a broadband investment is spent prudently and optimally
- Navigate the cumbersome and complex grant process
- Apply a comprehensive approach to the planning effort by conducting community surveys and interviews to learn from end users about their needs and experiences and coordinate with the required stakeholders
- Provide data analysis and visualization to present a very accurate picture of the current broadband environment and develop a roadmap for future deployments.
- Employ a competitive procurement process with internet service providers (ISPs) or facilitate a public-private partnership (PPP) with an ISP.
- Overseeing the implementation process by the ISP to ensure they meet their obligation as defined by the procurement process or PPP.
The end result is improved access to high-level broadband service across each jurisdiction, and ultimately the entire country.
Key Areas of Broadband Expertise
Strategic Planning
Community Stakeholder Engagement and Feedback
Procurement
Development and Oversight of a Competitive Procurement Process
Facilitate Public-Private Partnerships
Implementation Oversight
Funding for Community Broadband Networks
The two most significant federal funding sources for broadband deployment are the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan. In addition to these sources, there are potentially many other sources for funding broadband projects. MCP has expert grant resources that can be leveraged to identify funding sources and assist with preparing grant requests.
Resources and Insights
Live Webinar: How to Navigate Today’s Unprecedented Rural Broadband Opportunity
Learn how American Rescue Plan funding will enable broadband services to advance in rural and underserved areas at unprecedented levels.
- Executing better vendor management
- Conducting objective vendor assessments
- Obtaining grant funding by identifying and navigating opportunities
Podcast: Integrating Broadband Technology with Traditional LMR Systems
Despite the thoughts of many in the broadband sector, the deployment of the public safety broadband network by FirstNet did not mark the beginning of the end for land mobile radio (LMR).
Understanding LMR and Broadband System Differences
- Technology
- Operations
- Funding
Whitepaper: Catch the Funding Wave
Here’s How to Leverage Federal Broadband Infrastructure Grants
- Securing funding
- When & where best to apply
- Understanding your broadband landscape
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