Garnering community support for your broadband project

Local support and community engagement are trending terms in the broadband sector as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program rolls out.

These are not new concepts — state and federal broadband grants often require formal buy-in from the community through letters of support. Letters can be incredibly valuable for various grant opportunities and when petitioning local governments to grant permits, petitions, or waivers.

Today, let’s discuss a few important ways to engage with local leaders and changemakers in a sincere way to build social capital in rural communities.

Lay the groundwork

Before you ask for letters of support, try to get an unofficial blessing of your project from community leaders. Given the likelihood that the community is under-resourced and not savvy in broadband matters, set up a 30-minute meeting to introduce the project or grant and field questions from local stakeholders.

You’ll want to invite municipal officials, both elected and appointed. During this meeting, come prepared with a list of community organizations you’ll be reaching out to so you can ask for introductions and additional organizations to contact.

Spread your net

Think about where your project footprint is and make a list of community anchor institutions that will directly benefit from better connectivity. Traditional anchor institutions include:

• Schools, both public and private
• Libraries
• Medical and healthcare providers
• Colleges and universities

In some cases, you’ll need to think outside the box. Rural communities may have anchor institutions that reach a wider audience of residents and are acutely aware of the need for broadband service in the area.

In my town, the local gym/aquatic center has a large footprint in the community and is led by an individual who, in addition to being an elected office, has significant social capital. Getting a letter of support from that individual would go a long way with local boards that formally (or informally) approve infrastructure projects.

Here are some additional places that could be considered “third spaces” where residents gather, celebrate, and exchange ideas:

• Senior centers
• Churches with public services such as food shelves
• Preschools
• Major local employers
• Local cafes or coffee shops
• The local salon or barber shop
• Arts organizations including community bands, choirs, and theater groups

Keep in touch

Engage the community in the period between construction and service to maintain support and increase awareness. In many cases, this could be as simple as sending email updates or sharing project milestones in the local newspaper.

A hypothetical example to put this in perspective: A local farmer recently had fiber installed at his house, a whole two years after providing a letter of support. An email updating him on the project would have helped set expectations and drive a more positive, community-led narrative combining direct outreach and informal information sharing among peers.

When the going gets tough

What to do if the project requires significant community support and people are not enthusiastic? Get involved!

• Sponsor a float in a local parade (July 4th is big in my town) and toss out candy to the kids
• Host a family-friendly Halloween event with treats and costumes
• Sponsor a youth sports team
• Attend and support community events such as baseball games
• Volunteer at local churches or food banks

Social capital and community connections in rural areas can go a long way, including thoughtful letters of support for grant-funded work or a hearty thank you from the local t-ball coach when the ball field (finally) has mobile cell coverage. Often, residents of rural communities want to have internet connectivity but are reluctant to change that could affect their community. Putting a name and face to a project can alleviate those fears and open doors.