A recent case study from the Community Broadband Networks initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) finds that rural North Dakotans are more likely to have access to fiber connectivity and gigabit-speed Internet than those living in urban areas. This may surprise many of us city dwellers, who are often stuck with large monopoly providers and their expensive, unreliable Internet access.
The case study, How Local Providers Built the Nation’s Best Internet Access in Rural North Dakota, highlights the efforts of 15 local companies and telephone cooperatives who came together to invest in rural North Dakota and build gigabit fiber networks across the state. Their success is traced back to the companies’ acquisition of 68 rural telephone exchanges from monpoloy provider US West (now CenturyLink) in the 1990s. The local providers then leveraged federal funds to connect rural residents and businesses with some of the most extensive and future-proof fiber networks in the country.
Download the case study, How Local Providers Built the Nation’s Best Internet Access in Rural North Dakota [pdf].
The case study features several maps and graphs that demonstrate North Dakota’s widespread, high-quality connectivity, including this map of fiber coverage in the state.
Some key lessons from the case study:
- When US West, the regional telephone monopoly, didn’t believe their rural North Dakota networks would be profitable, the local providers saw an opportunity to acquire US West’s rural territories in the state and to expand their services.
- More than three quarters of rural North Dakotans have access to fiber broadband today, compared to only 20 percent of rural residents nationally. Over 80 percent of North Dakota’s expanse is covered by fiber networks.
- National telecom monopolies refuse to invest in rural areas even though they receive billions in subsidies, while local co-ops and companies continue to innovate and build better networks for their communities.
The North Dakota independent providers’ vision and persistence delivered high-quality, rural Internet access to one of the most sparsely populated states in the country. Their efforts prove that better rural connectivity is possible and that the solutions already exist.
Read How Local Providers Built the Nation’s Best Internet Access in Rural North Dakota [pdf].
Cover image courtesy of Broadband Association of North Dakota.
