Broadband and Winning the Political Game

No matter how you tackle community broadband, every project becomes political at some point. Are you prepared?

This past election saw the victory of two pro-municipal broadband ballot referendums, both in Colorado. These are as political as it gets. Longmont passed a bond measure 2:1 that enables the public utility to reduce their broadband buildout from 10 to three years. Centennial passed a referendum 3:1 to take back authority for its broadband infrastructure.

Vince Jordan, a key player moving Longmont’s network along, joins us to offer insights on preparing your stakeholders so they minimize or avoid political challenges, and create maximum good will at the local and state political levels. He’ll describe the tactics Longmont used to leverage $5,000 to beat Comcast’s $350,000 drive in 2011 to squash that city’s ballot measure, and outline how others can do the same. Vince also comments on Comcast’s absence from this year’s referendum campaigns.

Vince’s remarks were recorded at Craig Settles’ training session, Building the Gigabit City in Colorado. Officials from various Colorado towns and counties, including Longmont, met to learn valuable skills, exchange tips and collaborate on their respective broadband efforts.