The feasibility of fiber: What other places have experienced with municipal-owned broadband superiortelegram.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from superiortelegram.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Advantages, obstacles
If the network is installed, Christopher Mitchell, director of the community broadband networks initiative with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, said he expects private companies to lower their rates to compete with the city s offering.
Competition would keep more money in the community, which is good for the local economy, but it could slow the city’s efforts to move to a higher capacity, more reliable fiber optic network.
Mitchell said the biggest advantage of building a fiber optic network is competition for the dominant provider, which leads to better prices and faster upgrades.
Another upside is keeping revenue in a community rather than sending it to a corporation out of state.