The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has issued a useful interactive map and list of municipal broadband networks in the U.S.
Interactive icons on the map indicate where municipal broadband networks have been built. Interested parties can click on any icon to get details about each network or can scroll through an alphabetical list by state.
List of Municipal Broadband Networks
According to an ILSR blog post, the organization used four basic criteria in determining whether a community should be included on its list of municipal broadband networks, including:
- The network must cover at least 80% of a city
- A local government (city, town or county) owns the infrastructure
- It is a fiber-to-the-home network
- It is in the U.S.
Scanning through the ILSR list, I counted 46 municipal broadband networks.
ILSR’s list includes a one-paragraph description of each network, including a bulleted list summarizing information that ILSR collected consistently for each network, including:
- Year built
- Population served
- Cost
- Funding method
- Governing body
- Services offered
- Top residential speed offered
- Provider’s website
- Link to overage the network has received in ILSR’s MuniNetworks e-newsletter
Although a recent federal appeals court ruling confirmed states’ power to enact laws limiting municipal networks, not every state has enacted those laws, and even in states with restrictive laws, some networks are grandfathered in because they were constructed before the laws were passed.
Image courtesy of flickr user Sean MacEntee.
