A panel at the Fiber Connect 2025 Conference, titled “Public-Private Partnerships: Creating Connections to Scale,” offered advice to local governments and broadband service providers (BSPs) on how to make such partnerships successful.
The panel, moderated by Katherine Songster, featured UTOPIA Fiber Director of Government Relations Nicole Cottle, The Broadband Group President Jeff Reiman, and Watch Hill Wireless Solutions Vice President of Fiber Deployment Paul Weintraub.
Drawing on her experience working with UTOPIA Fiber — an open-access fiber network owned by a consortium of 20 Utah cities — Cottle said public-private partnerships (PPPs) often thrive in situations where people say, “This will never happen.”
How Local Governments Can Help Make Public-Private Partnerships Work
The panel said local governments can help make PPPs successful by setting the agenda, being strict and quick, engaging in honest conversations, and being cautious:
- Set the agenda. Reiman and Cottle both said they believe in government-led broadband projects, but not necessarily that governments should become BSPs. Reiman said it’s important for local governments to set the agenda regarding what they need for their communities. Cottle noted that local governments that already run utilities may be better equipped to become BSPs. But many local governments — especially in smaller towns — may not have such expertise.
- “Be strict and be quick” is the advice Reiman gives to local governments. He says local governments need to be strict to ensure that a potential private partner will adequately meet the community’s needs. Once the right partner is found, though, local governments should be quick to approve permits and help the provider do their work quickly.
- Engage in honest conversations. “When you have a partnership, you can have honest conversations,” Weintraub said. He believes local governments should engage openly with providers and construction vendors, who may have “a better way to build [the project] or another way to design it that can help control the costs and help expedite the deployment.”
- Be cautious. Too often, the providers most interested in bringing broadband to a community are the least qualified to do so, Reiman said. Cottle agreed, saying a provider that is too eager is a red flag. Local governments should be very cautious about the agreements they enter and understand that private entities often have profit timelines that can make them fickle partners.
How Providers Can Help Make Public-Private Partnerships Work
The panelists also advised BSPs on the best ways to approach local governments as BSPs seek to establish PPPs: find the hook, educate, appeal to the public, and be aware of rural politics.
- Find the hook. Reiman discussed the importance of appealing to local governments based on what “makes sense from a political perspective” — the benefits of broadband for that specific community. Cottle called this finding the hook: “Even communities next door to each other may have different hooks.” She also said the hook for a particular community will likely change over time.
- Educate. Cottle said the COVID pandemic went a long way toward helping local governments understand the importance of fiber broadband connectivity. Reiman agreed, with the caveat that “we’ve taken a step back in the last year” because the allure and promise of satellite broadband requires providers to educate local governments on the differences between fiber and alternate technologies.
- Appeal to the public. “Nothing goes farther in facilitating the partnership than when the residents start to demand [better internet],” Cottle said. Appealing to the public directly can help providers get a foothold with local governments, which are responsive to the needs of their electorate.
- Be aware of rural politics. Cottle noted that politics in rural areas are different from larger cities — elected representatives in rural areas are closer to the public, which “raises the discussion to a much more heated place.” Providers should help rural governmental leaders understand that broadband access in rural communities is even more important than in places where certain services can be accessed in person.
