Universal and non-excludable broadband Internet access: A modest proposal for municipal provisioning of broadband as a basic service

Abstract

This paper argues for localizing the provisioning of broadband internet access within the portfolio of municipal services with a view to achieving universal service penetration. In supporting this proposition, this paper first offers a critique of how the centralization of regulatory oversight at the federal level has proven problematic in meeting universal service objectives. The paper then presents a rationale and proposition for provisioning household broadband services in low-income urban areas through municipal social and subsidized housing undertakings, and as a partial redress to broadband disenfranchisement.