FCC probes open community fiber access costs

The Federal Communications Commission is seeking comment on the cost of deploying community-based fiber access networks to anchor tenants such as hospitals, schools and libraries.

A number of communities across the country have recently pursued the deployment of open-access fiber networks that would provide high-speed connectivity to key institutions and lease excess capacity on the network to private providers, which would not only help pay for the network itself but also potentially enable the private sector to cost-effectively deploy broadband to previously underserved areas. One such project, OpenCape, is underway in Massachusetts. Another, in upstate New York, is expected to be complete next year...