Last summer, the Communities Strategies Group released a case study (Making Broadband Work for Rural Communities and Native Nations) that looked barriers to better broadband in rural areas. They called out three issues:

• Alignment: Misalignment among people, agencies, and organizations can create barriers to broadband deployment and use at all levels. For example, it makes sense for states and Native nations to align digital equity plans, but the recent timing of funding availability under the Digital Equity Act meant that states’ plans were finalized before Native nations were able to access funding for planning, leading to missed opportunities for alignment and cooperation.
• Sustainability: The current market-based approach to broadband has not worked for the most remote rural communities and Native nations because they simply do not have enough density of customers to allow private ISPs to make a profit. Acknowledging that broadband is an essential utility, as described above, should allow governments and communities to shift their thinking to find ways to provide affordable, sustainable connectivity to people and businesses. For example, a century ago, communities came together to form rural electric cooperatives to bring electrification to remote communities that private corporations were not likely to serve. This could be a model for broadband connectivity in remote areas today.
• Learning: The many new broadband and digital inclusion projects currently underway provide fertile ground for learning about what works to bring effective connectivity to rural communities and Native nations—and leverage that connectivity to drive equitable rural prosperity. But without intentional efforts to learn from this experience— and the efforts centered on COVID-19 pandemic response—governments and practitioners may end up repeating mistakes or continuing efforts that need to shift. For example, local practitioners report significant challenges where a single corporation owns broadband infrastructure but lacks the motivation to serve all of a local community or allow other ISPs to use the infrastructure. Learning from this experience could help communities move toward systems of cooperative or public ownership of infrastructure that encourages “coopetition” and ultimately serves the community better. Communities of practice for government entities (e.g., local governments, state and local federal offices like USDA Cooperative Extension), educational institutions (e.g,, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities), and community-based organizations (e.g., libraries and other organizations that provide digital navigation services) could be an important tool to exchange information, document what works, and ultimately increase the effectiveness and impact of efforts to move toward digital equity for rural communities and Native nations.