RE The 8 Agenda Items

My knee-jerk reaction to the 8 items:

1.  Should the state High Cost Fund be repurposed?

Yes, it should re repurposed to promote the building of rural broadband infrastructure for unserved and underserved areas in Colorado.

2.  Where should repurposed funds be directed (i.e. to unserved and/or underserved areas)

Both unserved and underserved areas.  However, emphasis should be placed on unserved, since these are the areas most in need and at most disadvantage in terms of economic development.

3.  Who should administer a repurposed High Cost Fund?

        a. PUC, DOLA, OIT, OEDIT or other?

DOLA or OEDIT.  To my mind, OIT is more of a policy organization rather than an administrative organization, and may lack the administrative framework needed.  PUC should not be a candidate because it is, frankly, a case study in regulatory capture, and lacks the trust of pretty much everyone but the ILECs.

        b. Stakeholder commission or other additional framework?

There should definitely be stakeholder representation, and this should be part of any oversight component.

4.  Who is eligible to apply for funding?

Any unserved or underserved public entity in the state of Colorado.  

5.  What is the criteria for the application and how should they be prioritized?

a. Applying entity must be unserved or underserved.  A possible exception might be if a served entity has been notified it would no longer be served by its sole provider, or if its sole provider ceases to operate.

b. Unserved entities should be given higher priority.

c. Applicants must demonstrate a clearly defined path (business plan) to sustainability.

6.  What limitations will there be (i.e. avoiding overbuilding)?

Overbuilding existing operational broadband capacity should be strictly disallowed.  Exceptions for overbuilding existing capacity (i.e., dark fiber) that is unavailable over the long term or that is obsolescent in relation to current technology may be considered, but this should vetted by a technical and economic analysis.  

7.  What mechanisms for accountability should be established?

Stakeholder representation is crucial for any accountability mechanism.  Management practices such as sole source contracts should not be allowed unless under exceptional and clearly defined circumstances.

8.  Are there other funding opportunities?