BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Asset maps play a central role – they simultaneously cut costs, demonstrate benefts and expedite access to Internet service providers. was able to use that understanding to coalesce a united front. Now the city enjoys the highest Internet capacity in the nation. Its economy – and the start-up ecosystem in particular – has experienced a vibrant renaissance. Asset maps draw investment and attract high-speed Internet access to new places. Until recently, citizens in Warren County, Ky., were handicapped by a lack of access to high-speed Internet. Tough technically "served" according to the state's broadband map, students often had to visit one another's homes in the hope of fnding Internet service fast enough to fnish their homework. Teir education was stifed, and teachers had difculty teaching students the skills needed in today's economy. Warren County decided to act. It frst hired a technology consulting frm, Connected Nation Exchange (CNX), to perform a holistic study of the community's infrastructure and capabilities. CNX analyzed reports, measured throughput and interviewed stakeholders. It created a GIS map that integrated the county's infrastructure with census data and household coverage. It then compiled this technical data alongside market data, ultimately creating an asset map that Warren County used to recruit investment. Te initiative was a success. Within a few months, a locally owned wireless broadband company, FastNet, had negotiated countywide leases with public agencies for access to such things as water towers, roof access and dark fber. As a result, the company is now able to ofer high-capacity broadband services to homes and businesses throughout the entire county and even surrounding counties. Tis distinction separates Warren County from competing communities in recruiting businesses and meeting the needs of the education community. In addition, the Warren County asset maps supported the public Exhibit 1: Asset Map Example Source: Connected Nation Exchange 98 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com safety community in its upgrade of its own communications network, pointing to existing tower assets that could be used instead of newly built towers as originally proposed. As these cases demonstrate, communities that enlist proactive strategies are better able to draw investment. Kansas City and Warren County demonstrate that asset maps play a central role by simultaneously cutting costs, demonstrating benefts and expediting access to Internet service providers. WHAT IS ASSET MAPPING? Communities have long recognized the benefts of mapping their resources, often using maps to revamp their economic development strategies. Asset mapping can require taking full stock of all asset types. Tese include human capital, research and development institutions, fnancial capital, the industrial base, connective organizations, the legal and regulatory environment, physical infrastructure and quality of life. Once a community obtains a clear picture of its current situation, it can use its asset map as a catalyst for public-private partnerships, plans, benchmarking and performance measurement. Creating an accurate, useful asset map is no easy task. Researchers, analysts and professionals typically survey economic reports and profles, scan available information from the Internet and other sources and extensively interview local leaders and pertinent experts. A community's assets must be understood within the context of its region, including the larger networks that connect the community to regional, national and global economies. Only by examining a community's assets within a larger context of opportunity can mappers ascertain the value of assets. Technological assets are some of the most complex to map. Experts must model broadband availability and usage, which requires identifying physical infrastructure such as towers, antennas and fber cables and surveying residential, commercial and public users | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013