What you need to know about the municipal broadband debate

As communities around the US work to close their digital divides, more and more are pursuing municipal broadband networks as a solution.

As a recent example, in mid-January, the state of New York was awarded $228 million by the Treasury Department for a grant program that will provide funding to "municipalities, non-profits, and other entities to construct open and accessible public broadband infrastructure." The program is expected to connect "tens of thousands of homes statewide," according to the state.

New York is not alone: As the Institute for Local Self-Reliance recently reported, there are now nearly 450 municipal broadband networks in the US, with many more on the way.

In this short video documentary, Light Reading looks into the current state of municipal broadband, why and where it's helping to close the digital divide, and why certain groups are trying to stop it.

Featured guests:

Dive deeper into stories referenced in this video below:

Related:As public broadband networks ramp up, so do new attacks

For a lightly edited transcript, click the caption button on the video player.