Creating a Wireless Network

Stone, Matt (2005). Community Guidebook. Wireless Broadband: The Foundation for Digital Communities. Civitium. Community "Cookbook" Series, organized by Muniwireless.com. http://www.muniwireless.com/reports/docs/MWcookbook2005.pdf This document (31 pages) is designed to guide municipalities through the entire process of creating a municipal broadband network. It can also help community members, policy makers, researchers, and other stakeholders understand important steps in this process. It was written by Matt Stone, the Government Strategist for Civitium, a major consulting firm for both small and large scale municipal wireless projects: http://www.civitium.com/ . The guide does not prescribe one model for communities to follow, but rather a series of issues for each municipality to consider in relation to their own goals and context. The document lays out the four following steps in deploying a municipal broadband network: (1) feasibility studies - including political and regulatory feasibility, economic feasibility, and technical feasibility; (2) procurement - the process of designing and issuing an RFP and evaluating proposals; (3) network deployment - managing the build-out of the network; and (4) network enhancement - managing the further development of the network. The document includes guidance on business and financial models and strategies municipalities can use to choose the best model for their community.