The Challenge.
Today, a fiber-optic communications cable backbone crisscrosses our nation much like our interstate freeway system. It’s designed to transport services at the speed of light, and help ensure the vitality of every American community—big or small, urban or rural, rich or poor. Currently, however, these trunk lines only connect major metropolitan cities leaving small to mid-sized, “orphaned” communities behind.

How is the “last mile” of this network best completed—the “off ramps” and “digital streets” to municipalities that connect households, businesses, government facilities, private institutions, and local schools to this backbone? Is there a compelling business case for municipalities to fund this last mile deployment? How do we preserve this network’s open integrity, unfettered by monopolistic self-interests, to promote robust competition and minimize barriers to entry for all service/content providers?