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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SUMMIT COVERAGE comprehensive plan that includes tech- nical, economic/financial and regula- tory components designed to address the infrastructure needs of a wired com- munity offering ubiquitous connectivity to broadband networks. Following are a few examples of local governments that took a broad, forward- looking, unified approach to compre- hensive broadband planning. • Humboldt County, Calif., ad- opted a comprehensive plan whose "Telecommunications Element" ar- ticulates policies, such as dig-once policies, designed to promote broad- band access, reliability and capacity (http://co.humboldt.ca.us/gpu/doc- umentsplan.aspx). Dig-once policies require companies using PROWs to agree to share trenching, conduit and other joint-use infrastructure before new, invasive uses are approved. • Te city of Portland, Ore., adopted a broadband strategic plan that establishes a comprehensive mu- nicipal policy on enhancing broad- band infrastructure (www.portland online.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id= 354243). • Ordinances adopted by the city of Poulsbo, Wash., require private real estate developers to install additional conduit in newly dedicated PROWs to accommodate future telecommu- nications needs and require telecom- munications service providers to use previously installed conduit when- ever possible. • Te city of Loma Linda, Calif., ad- opted a comprehensive broadband plan known as the Connected Com- munity Program, which includes policies that promote the deployment of an advanced citywide fiber optic network as well as modifications to building regulations to ensure that development will be designed to meet the needs of future communications technologies (www.lomalinda-ca. gov/asp/Site/LLCCP/AboutLLCCP/ Introduction/index.asp). As these examples show, broadband policies should address, at a minimum, the following issues: Comprehensive broadband plans can help minimize the costs of providing broadband – for example, by implementing dig-once policies. First, what kind of future connectiv- ity will the community need to bring the greatest opportunities and benefits to the public, including investment in- centives, job creation, quality of life enhancements, as well as health, educa- tional and economic benefits? Planning for future connectivity needs means en- suring sufficient capacity in the present. Second, how can future benefits best be ensured while minimizing costs over time? It is important to realize that a measure taken to save money now may actually increase costs in the long run. For example, installing insufficient ca- pacity to save money today may result in greater expense tomorrow, when infra- structure will need upgrading to accom- modate demand. Local PROW plans, policies and ordinances should strongly encourage, if not require, cooperative sharing of trenches and of installed conduit and other infrastructure, along with dig-once policies. Tird, is a mechanism in place to al- low municipal officials to monitor the use of PROWs to ensure the efficient utilization of public resources? PROW mapping is essential. To avoid redun- dancy and waste, local governments must have the capability of determining which companies are using each segment of each street as well as which facilities are installed at any given location. To illustrate how intelligent, com- prehensive planning can avoid the waste of valuable public resources, consider the issue of trenching. In any new de- velopment, the developer is responsible for providing a utility easement to each home and an open trench for instal- lation of services, including electric power, telephone, cable television and data communications. Installing all utilities in the ground during the initial phase of construction is much cheaper in the long run than digging up a road a second time to bury additional utilities later. In fact, the Federal Highway Ad- ministration estimates that digging up and repairing an existing road to bury fiber optic cable is about 10 times more expensive than installing the infrastruc- ture at the outset. Forward-looking planning in this circumstance will include several com- ponents, including a dig-once policy and a requirement that private compa- nies deriving revenue from the use of PROWs make public-interest commit- ments in return for being granted access. For example, Dakota County in Minnesota is working toward imple- menting a dig-once policy to be in- corporated into the County's one-stop PROW online permitting process (ht tps://services.co.dakota.mn.us/ OneStopRoadwayPermit/Login.aspx). In addition, private users of PROWs may be required to finance the installa- tion of additional, spare conduit capac- ity that the municipality will own, man- age and make available for future use as the need arises – without the need to dig up streets a second time. Te spare con- duit may be available to private service providers and to the city itself for provi- sion of essential services such as traffic signals, water and sewer facilities and city administration. COOPERATION WITH REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS It is vitally important for municipal of- ficials to work in partnership with, not against, the private sector to ensure the intelligent management of PROWs. To illustrate, consider the following example: During the initial phases of con- struction, the developer of a master- planned community installs conduit pipes underground beneath a pathway that will later be dedicated to the city OCTOBER 2012 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 67