Arizona Broadband Initiative and Framework: Analysis and Report

This report examines several state and community programs from across the nation that are taking steps to improve the deployment of broadband telecommunications infrastructure to historically unserved or underserved areas. There are three general models for these programs. One scenario has seen states like Washington and Colorado act as aggregators of public sector demand for advanced telecommunications infrastructure and anchor tenants that purchase enough statewide service to create the demand required to get the private sector to invest the necessary resources to deliver capability to all parts of the state. A second scenario in states like Michigan, California, Vermont, and Maine relies on strong executive leadership from the governor and seeks to expand broadband deployment through creation of a state Broadband Authority with the legal power to collect funding through state Universal Service Funds. The Authority then makes grants or loans to commercial infrastructure providers or communities. The Authority also has the power to reform the processes governing access to publicly-controlled right-of-way. The third approach that has produced significant success in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Utah relies on a public-private partnership structured in the form of a state-chartered nonprofit corporation. These partnerships are then able to coordinate infrastructure expansion efforts and draw on both public and private resources.