Fiber Investments by Counties Pay for Themselves, Says Broadband Consultant

AUSTIN, Texas, April 8, 2014 - It makes sense for communities and local government to build fiber networks to manage their communications need, said Joanne Hovis, President of CTC Communications, at the Broadband Communities Conference here.

Using a simple analysis of the costs to deploy T-1 communications networks versus fiber networks, Hovis showed how Montgomery County schools paid $3,600 per megabit per second (Mbps) annually to receive service at 1.54 Mbps. These costs were lowered to $1,800 per Mbps through eRate funds.

But, when calculating the costs of building a fiber network in the county, schools were able to receive 100 Mbps service at a cost of $70 per Mbps, she said. "Think about these kinds of strategies as you think about your fiber strategy," Hovis said, at a session on "building the economic case for fiber broadband."