The market demand in a densely populated, urban environment will support multiple broadband infrastructures. In extremely rural areas, however, it is sometimes impossible to support even one broadband wired infrastructure, particularly with the costs of local regulations and franchising fees. In the above video, Gary Johnson, CEO/General Manager of Paul Bunyan Communications, explains some of the nuances of serving rural areas, including defining terms; such as what a township is.

For more than a decade, Bemidji, Minnesota-based Paul Bunyan Communications has been using a little used Federal law to speed out and justify the deployment of broadband, telephony and video to rural townships in rural Minnesota. As Johnson points out, the Open Video System rules remove local regulatory and franchising hurdles, if communities so desire. The OVS rules also make the last mile provider a video pipe wholesaler with provisions that require it to lease space to competing video providers.

As Johnson implies,removing local barriers effectively reduces upfront and ongoing costs and allows the construction of Fiber to the Home networks where they would otherwise not be constructed.

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