6 reasons for government agencies to choose an established fiber provider

The COVID-19 pandemic placed new strains on networks across the United States. Internet services usage increased as much as 100 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels. For government agencies, stay-at-home orders meant their constituents were transacting more business online, from looking up local ordinances to paying their water bills. Not only did agencies have to balance network traffic so that their own employees could log in from their homes and participate in video calls and online collaboration, but they also had to make sure constituents could get the information and services they needed. In some cases, government agencies had to create public health portals to provide updates on COVID-19 case counts.

 Reliable internet connectivity serves as the foundation for constituent services and inter-agency collaboration. Coupled with network modernization initiatives that may have already been under way before the pandemic, it may seem like a good idea for local governments to build a fiber internet infrastructure from scratch and become their own internet service provider (ISP). Government internet would help them meet the demand and offer another utility to constituents, potentially bundling water, electricity and internet service.

 While this strategy may help alleviate reliance on broadband internet providers, it may not do much for a government agency's bottom line or deliver any economic benefits. One city in Tennessee spent $400 million to build its fiber broadband network, but that didn't improve the municipality's job market in any meaningful way. It may also generate controversy among constituents, particularly when bonds are taken out to pay for the projects. 

There's no question that government internet could help solve some of the problems consumers face with existing broadband connections, but you don't have to build it from scratch. Here are six reasons to partner with an established fiber provider.