The pandemic proved that broadband is our connection to the essentials of life: to work, education, banking, healthcare, community, government services and so much more. It turned out to be as essential as clean water, reliable power, heat in winter and cooling in summer.

Local and regional governments need a reliable, affordable network that can grow with their communities. But few have the expertise to become an ISP: licensing, designing, building, marketing and operating a network to get the service they need. The challenge is to work with a private-sector partner to get the network they really need.

The Network Your Community Needs helps municipal and county leaders see their communities from a new perspective: the perspective of a network builder or ISP. It offers straightforward advice on making their communities better targets for broadband investment – and making sure the network supports growth, quality of life and digital equity.

The Network Your Community Needs is the product of a partnership between the Intelligent Community Forum and Lit Fiber, a provider of a turnkey for building broadband infrastructure in communities of all sizes, enabling them to create digital equity for their residents, businesses, and municipalities.