Choices

Before you can build a network, you need to know what you want and what is possible. We’ve arranged the many options into a series of charts.

Our Networks by Use chart gives you an idea of some of the ways people are using networks.

Our Networks by Technology gives you an idea of which technologies are good for which purposes.

Our Business Models chart will give you an idea of how other communities are creating sustainable broadband for themselves.

And finally, our of Roles Local Governement Can Play in Networks chart, will give you an idea of the many differrent ways that local governements are interacting with networks.

These documents will get you started. Please look through our resource library to find many more related items.

 

 

Process

How do networks get built? Building a local broadband network is a complex process that shares some characteristics with general infrastructure development, but also involves some technology and policy issues that are unique to broadband.

How do all the pieces and players fit together? The process of building a local broadband network can be broken down into four steps: Feasibility Study, RFP, Deployment, and Evaluation. While there is no one-size-fits-all way to approach these phases, we have gathered resources to help you through each part of the process.

Feasibility Study → RFP → Deployment → Evaluation

Feasibility Study
The feasibility stage is where you decide whether or not it makes sense to build a broadband network, and what kind of network best fits your community’s needs. Your business model will come out of the feasibility study stage. With what you want in place, you are ready to move on to the RFP stage ….

RESOURCES:

Bakowski (2005):
This document gives a very detailed overview of this part of the process.

Potter & Clement (2007):
Ideal network characteristics for broadband networks in the public interest.

Ethos Business Models Chart
Ethos Golden Examples
Ethos Roles a City Can Play Chart
Ethos Networks by Type Chart
Ethos Networks by Technology Chart
BelAir (2007)

Philadelphia Feasibility Study
Boston Feasibility Study
Lompoc, CA Feasibility Study
San Francisco Budget Analyst Feasibility Study

RFP
In the RFP (Request for Proposal) stage you will draft a document that will tell others (vendors, potential partners, etc.) what kind of network you are building, and what opportunities there are for them. These groups will then submit proposals to you, telling you what they can offer. If the offers are satisfactory, you will then choose one or more of these groups to work with.  During contract negotiations pay attention to service level agreements and proof of concept arrangements. With your partners you will create a plan for deployment, and go ahead …

RESOURCES:

Richardson (2005):
This Civitium document gives detailed advice on the RFP stage, and sets the RFP in the larger context of the process of deploying a network.

Excelsio (2007):
Gives advice on how to evaluate RFP submissions.

Tucson, AZ Feasibility Study:
Gives advice on making RFP attractive to potential vendors/partners.

Sample RFPs

Deployment
This is the stage where your network is deployed; you may want to develop ways to monitor progress of the network set-up, and to keep your community informed about the network as it is built.  

Evaluation
During the evaluation stage you will assess whether you achieved what you set out to do, and how, based on your experiences, you can make your network better.  

RESOURCES:

See the IMPACT section of the Toolkit.

Impact

Have we accomplished what we set out to do?
Does our network make a difference?

Why Assessing Impact is Important. Taking a good look at what has been done is an important part of building a broadband network.  Looking at what a network has accomplished relative to what the network was intended to do can help communities to understand how to improve their networks. 

How Assessment Works. Assessment is a measure of how a network operates in practice, relative to what the network set out to accomplish in the first place.  This means that when you set out assess the impact of your network, your network goals are a good place to start. What kind of network did you want to build?  Who was the network to serve? How much time and money did you anticipate you would spend? Have you accomplished these goals? Did you encounter any surprises or challenges along the way? What can other communities learn from your experience? How could you make your network better?

Many tools and methods can be used to answer these questions. Which ones you should choose depend on what you want to know, and how much time and money you have available. Assessment of community broadband networks can include things like: using technical testing methods to measure network availability and quality; conducting user surveys and interviews; and looking closely at network costs and revenues.

Evaluation Methods and Tools. Because city and community broadband networks are a relatively new type of infrastructure, standard evaluation methods for these networks don’t exist.  But, there are tools that communities can use to tackle the task of evaluating their networks. Some of these tools, such as technical testing methods, proof-of-concept, and service level agreements, are being developed for and applied to broadband projects. For example ….

-Companies like Novarum (www.novarum.com) and VeriWave (www.veriwave.com) have developed technical testing methods for wireless networks. This Veriwave paper gives an overview of many types of wireless network testing: Master Test Plan: Wireless Lan & Muni-Wireless Testing. (http://www.veriwave.com/gurus/white_papers.asp).

-Some cities have negotiated service level agreements (SLAs) and proof-of-concept agreements with their private sector partners. Philadelphia is an example. These agreements can help communities make sure that they get a network that works.

Communities can also use assessment methods designed for other types of infrastructure, or community programs. For example ….

Resources

Wireless Philadelphia. (2005). Wireless Philadelphia Request for Proposals for a Citywide Network: Section 2.3, Proof of Concept.
www.phila.gov/rfp/pdfs/WP%20RFP%204-5-05%20rev%20v4-CLEAN.pdf
 
Wireless Philadelphia. (2007). Proof of Concept Acceptance.
http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.org/blog_detail.cfm/blog/19

BelAir Networks. (2007). BelAir Networks First to Guarantee Performance and Coverage in Municipal Wireless Networks.
http://www.belairnetworks.com/about_belair/press_releases_view.cfm?p_id=...

Wireless Philadelphia (2007). Request for Proposal of Evaluation Services for Wireless Philadelphia. www.wirelessphiladelphia.org/documents/Evaluation%20RFP-FINAL.pdf