Informal Policies
Top Takeaways
- Lessening deployment costs is key to encouraging development in your area.
- There are many ways that your city or county can work informally to lessen deployment costs and encourage an incumbent or new provider to increase broadband availability in your area.
Encouraging broadband deployment does not always mean initiating new local or state legislation or officially changing zoning laws or other regulations. A city or county can informally work to lessen deployment costs in several ways:
- Providing market research or other studies/data, including GIS maps, surveys and other geographic information, that will help providers make strategic deployment decisions.
- Helping providers apply for local, county or state permits or other necessary documents.
- Assisting providers in marketing efforts, including distributing local or county press releases endorsing broadband expansion, promoting broadband on official government websites, holding public education forums, inserting marketing materials in constituent bills and other mailed items, and using other local- or county-managed communications instruments.
- Facilitating involvement and endorsement of local groups, schools, businesses and nonprofits, including the Chamber of Commerce, real estate offices and hospitals, etc.
- Encouraging businesses to offer free wireless broadband access to customers.