Shared Infrastructure Isn’t Radical. It’s Practical.

Author: Brad Broadwell

Last week, I wrote about the widening gap between broadband demand and fiber pricing. Networks keep getting bigger, heavier, and more expensive to operate, while service rates have barely moved. Shared fiber, dark‑fiber partnerships, and smarter ownership models remain the most realistic ways to keep pricing stable. 

Fiber isn’t a future investment anymore. It’s the backbone of how modern economies function. Remote work, telehealth, logistics, precision agriculture, and small‑business tools all depend on high‑capacity networks that can keep up with exponential demand. 

The challenge is straightforward: the cost of delivering that capacity is rising everywhere. Construction costs are up. Labor is tight. Make‑ready takes longer. Materials, insurance, and power have climbed. And in rural counties — whether in North Carolina or Kentucky— every mile of fiber carries a higher cost per passing than it does in major metros. Meanwhile, revenue stays flat. 

That tension hits hardest in the places that can least absorb it. Rural, suburban, and even fast‑growing metro regions need more fiber and more choice than ever, but rural America is where fiber is most expensive to build and maintain. 

This is the moment where economic developers have to step in. If the old model stays in place, communities will face higher rates, slower upgrades, or stalled expansion. None of those outcomes support job growth or long‑term competitiveness. 

There is a better path. Open‑access fiber turns broadband into shared infrastructure: one network, multiple providers, lower long‑term cost per passing, and wholesale revenue that stabilizes operations. It’s the same logic we use for industrial parks, water systems, and transportation corridors — build once, use many times. 

Dark‑fiber partnerships are the other lever. Across the country, co‑ops, DOTs, universities, counties, and private carriers have unused fiber already in the ground. Lighting those strands can cut middle‑mile costs dramatically and accelerate deployment by years. In many rural regions, the most affordable fiber is the fiber that already exists — it just needs a partner willing to put it to work. 

In North Carolina, MCNC is a strong example of how statewide middle‑mile assets can support this model. But other states have some version of this opportunity. The communities that treat fiber as core infrastructure will be the ones that will continue to attract employers, support entrepreneurs, and keep talent rooted. The communities waiting for the old model to fix itself will fall behind. 

The economics are clear. The opportunity is national. And regions across the country — including rural NC — have a chance to lead the next generation of shared digital infrastructure.