Across the country, one reality is becoming clear: fiber broadband is no longer optional infrastructure. From powering advanced manufacturing to supporting remote learning, telehealth, and cloud-enabled public services, high-capacity fiber internet is essential to modern commerce and life today and critical to the opportunities of tomorrow.
Yet in too many communities – urban, suburban and rural – access to fiber is still limited to wealthier neighborhoods, newer developments, or downtown cores. Legacy providers often lack the business incentive to build universally.
So, a growing number of municipalities are turning to public-interest private capital to build community-wide, utility-like fiber infrastructure—without waiting for public subsidies or sacrificing community wide participation in the process. It’s infrastructure finance guided by public interest, and it’s already delivering results.
Private Capital, Public Mission
Today’s civic leaders recognize that economic development requires digital development.
To attract businesses, retain talent, and provide smart city services, communities require scalable infrastructure to address present and future needs.
Many have discovered that private investors are ready to finance fiber networks, provided the model is built around long-term value and community alignment. In the most effective models, private capital funds the design, construction, and operation of open-access fiber networks that serve entire communities. Local governments provide vision, local coordination, and—increasingly—policy frameworks that prioritize universality.
Three Different Markets, One Principle: Community-Wide Benefit
In Central Indiana, mStreet Fiber is partnering with local leaders to deliver fiber in cities where affordability, aging infrastructure, and digital skills gaps are urgent concerns. In Central Alabama, where economic opportunity and rural access are central to local development strategies, mStreet Fiber is building long-term partnerships that combine fiber deployment with digital inclusion efforts and workforce programs.
In Memphis, mStreet Fiber is executing the largest private fiber build in city history, reaching nearly every home and business with open-access infrastructure and inclusive pricing. But across all three, one principle remains constant: only when the entire community has access can the entire community thrive.
What binds these efforts together is not the design of each project, but rather a commitment to listen deeply, build holistically, and invest for lasting public benefit.
mStreet Fiber’s Exceptional Approach
mStreet Fiber represents this next generation of fiber developer: committed to utility-grade builds, aligned with local public goals, and structured for accountability. We partner with municipalities to design, finance, and operate open-access networks that pass at least 85% of all premises, regardless of residents’ income levels and without burdening public budgets.
Whether it’s modernizing digital infrastructure in Indiana public housing, enabling Smart City solutions in Memphis, or implementing workforce development in Selma, mStreet adjusts to local needs while focusing on its primary goal: providing infrastructure that serves entire communities today and for generations to come.
The Economic Benefits of Fiber for All
Chattanooga’s municipally owned fiber network is often cited as what is possible for communities around the country. A decade post launch, the city realized nearly $2.7 billion in economic benefit and 9500 new jobs.
The takeaway isn’t that every city must build its own utility. It’s that fiber deployed with a long-term, community-wide mission—whether publicly or privately owned—yields durable local returns.
Best Practices for Meeting Specific Community Needs
If private investors want to succeed in this space, they must consider more than financing and fiber counts. They must recognize that fiber should be a utility-like asset that will be part of the community for decades to come.
Listen First and Always: Investors must take time to understand local goals, pain points, and digital gaps. Establish dialogue with municipal stakeholders from the start and for the duration.
Design for Universality: Design a footprint that extends throughout the community. Whether through open-access design, creative cost-sharing, or phased deployments, networks must be planned to reach every neighborhood—not just the most profitable ones.
Operate Locally: Build operations that are part of the community. Local operating companies, led by executives who are long-term and active members of a community will better address the specific needs of their communities than companies that adhere to a nationwide standard operating plan.
Communicate Transparently: Construction projects are inherently disruptive, so being responsive is critical to maintaining community trust. Be open with stakeholders and residents about what they can expect and if an issue arises, resolve to address it quickly.
Actively Support Digital Participation: Connectivity without adoption is a missed opportunity. Investors should commit to partnering with local nonprofits, schools, and workforce agencies to support device access, digital literacy, and affordable plans.
Enabling a Digital-First Future
America’s infrastructure future depends on whether we can build fiber broadband networks that serve entire communities. A capital model that aligns private investment with public interest will unlock speed, scope, and economic opportunity.
For cities ready to lead—and investors ready to serve the public good—the path is clear.