Background
Like most Iowa cities of 25,000 or higher in population, Fort Dodge is served by one incumbent telephone company and one cable company. Although the presence of two providers would imply that consumers have choices, the reality is that only one of Fort Dodge’s providers has a network capable of meeting today’s bandwidth needs for all but the lightest internet users. And neither of these network extends fiber optics all the way to the end user except in the case of larger businesses that are willing to pay for it.
Areas in light green or blue on the map above are served by fiber-to-the-home networks. Source: December 2017 FCC data. https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov
Unlike Fort Dodge itself, many of the small towns and rural areas in Webster County are served by all-fiber networks owned by small, independent telephone companies. These community-based, independent companies have used access to federal subsidies through the Connect America Fund and its predecessor, the Universal Service Fund, to upgrade their copper-based delivery infrastructure to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH).
So even though Fort Dodge is the largest city in Webster County and one of the area’s largest commercial hubs, citizens and businesses do not have access to FTTH infrastructure like rural areas and small communities in the region. Fort Dodge is an island of copper-based delivery infrastructure in an ocean of fiber-to-the-home.
So even though Fort Dodge is the largest city in Webster County and one of the area’s largest commercial hubs, citizens and businesses do not have access to FTTH infrastructure like rural areas and small communities in the region. Fort Dodge is an island of copper-based delivery infrastructure in an ocean of fiber-to-the-home.
The Challenge
A community that wants to participate in the 21st century economy needs access to a 21st century telecommunications infrastructure. That means fiber optics, providing virtually unlimited bandwidth and unmatched reliability.
Fiber networks are expensive. If they weren’t, incumbent operators would have upgraded already to utilize the capacity and reliability that fiber brings. Therefore, it appears unlikely that either of the incumbent providers will build fiber-to-the-home anytime in the foreseeable future. The economics are simply not favorable for these companies to invest the millions of dollars needed in a single community.
So, what can Fort Dodge do to address this challenge? The most likely paths appear to be investment in a publicly owned municipal fiber network, the attraction of a new provider, or some combination of public and private investment. Any of these paths require information on the current state of broadband in Fort Dodge, the potential market for a new provider (public or private), and the potential costs for such a network.
The Fort Dodge City Council has identified improved broadband as essential to the community's future growth and success. To provide the City with the information and tools it needs to improve broadband they have launched a community fiber Pre-Feasibility Study.
Fiber networks are expensive. If they weren’t, incumbent operators would have upgraded already to utilize the capacity and reliability that fiber brings. Therefore, it appears unlikely that either of the incumbent providers will build fiber-to-the-home anytime in the foreseeable future. The economics are simply not favorable for these companies to invest the millions of dollars needed in a single community.
So, what can Fort Dodge do to address this challenge? The most likely paths appear to be investment in a publicly owned municipal fiber network, the attraction of a new provider, or some combination of public and private investment. Any of these paths require information on the current state of broadband in Fort Dodge, the potential market for a new provider (public or private), and the potential costs for such a network.
The Fort Dodge City Council has identified improved broadband as essential to the community's future growth and success. To provide the City with the information and tools it needs to improve broadband they have launched a community fiber Pre-Feasibility Study.
Goals of the Pre-Feasibility Study
- Educate citizens in the study area about the importance of broadband service for education, health care, quality of life, business, and the economy of Fort Dodge.
- Engage in discussions with individuals, anchor entities, and leadership groups to identify existing broadband gaps.
- Conduct a comprehensive survey to measure attitudes about existing providers and gauge interest in a public or private solution to close those gaps.
- Identify the geographic location of citizens that would be interested in receiving services from a new, fiber-based provider.
- Gather speed test data from citizens in the study area to measure actual delivered internet speeds, not just advertised speeds.
Additional Steps
Information gathered during the Broadband Study may be used to develop a high-level business model, focusing on options for construction of a fiber optic network to serve Fort Dodge, as well as efforts to identify possible partners.
Resources for Fort Dodge Residents
Click the Facebook icon above to visit the City of Fort Dodge Facebook page. LIKE the page and follow the discussion with fellow citizens!
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FAQ'sYou may have a lot of questions about the what access to fiber broadband services would mean. On this page we'll keep an updated list of questions we receive and answers to those questions.
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ScheduleCheck this page for the latest schedule of informational meetings for the Fort Dodge Pre-Feasibility Study.
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