Community Support Quantification

For broadband to fulfill its potential as a tool for economic and community development, it must be affordable for all. Affordability is driven in equal measure by the total cost to create and operate the network AND the pace at which high-speed Internet becomes integral to the community.

Where broadband is not available today, community involvement is a critical component in the execution of any broadband expansion plan. The use of a structured methodology to quantify the value of a community’s in-kind contribution is a direct determinant for the level of participation of the local community both in enabling the deployment of a Broadband network. Because both the ISP and the community’s leadership can jointly develop rational economic approaches to delivering affordable Broadband throughout the proposed service area.

To develop the recommendation, PLT will forecast demand and then validating its findings with community research. After developing its training and education recommendation from demographic data then testing how that will work in each county. This approach has proven the most effective for enlisting the support of the community to implement approved recommendations.

Samples of PLT work product can be downloaded from the Resource Center.

Copyright 2009. PLT. All rights reserved.