Best Practice: Franklin County’s Innovative Approach to Rural Broadband Deployment

Rural counties across the nation share the same challenges when it comes to broadband – including large land area, dispersed populations, and limited funds. Franklin County, Virginia, succeeded in meeting those challenges through an innovative best practice example of rural broadband development. As nationwide interest in rural broadband increases as a result of billions of dollars of planned economic stimulus funding, Franklin County’s example is critical and timely.

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FCC's Broadband Plan May Miss Out on Stimulus - washingtonpost.com

But by the time the FCC creates its plan for broadband, it is likely that Internet service providers will have claimed much of the $7.2 billion in stimulus funds set aside to build high-speed networks without major input from the agency. And that has some worried that the Obama administration's call to wire the nation risks having taxpayer money going toward projects that are not needed and have been created without clear guidelines.

FCC's Broadband Plan May Miss Out on Stimulus - washingtonpost.com

Broadband "Stimulus" Rules Still Unsettled

Remember, this is the bill that was voted on without having been read, in its entirety, by anybody. So it is a fair bet no money is going anywhere anytime soon, as guidelines are not yet available.

At a high level, it appears wireline, unlicensed wireless broadband (WISPs), satellite, mobile broadband providers and other non-profit entities seem to be eligible for grants or loans. So some workable and "fair" process has to be created so that no segment believes it has been unfairly treated. But some will favor funding for "upstarts" rather than "incumbents," even if the incumbents are ready to move faster.

Broadband "Stimulus" Rules Still Unsettled

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