The Decorah Metronet Fiber Broadband Network

Rural Winneshiek County, in northeast Iowa, is home to the Decorah MetroNet (DMN), a fiber-optic telecommunications network. The DMN is owned and operated by a collaborative, public-private partnership between six anchor members. The network serves seventeen locations owned by DMN members in the City of Decorah. The DMN was established to satisfy demand for affordable, high-speed internet. The partnership now aspires to expand beyond current infrastructure and membership to optimize broadband expansion and adoption. However, the DMN has limited fiscal and organizational resources to expand their fiber optic network efficiently and equitably to potential users. The objective of this project was to assess and recommend expansion plans that achieve the goals of DMN and yield the greatest amount of benefits for the community. Surveys, interviews, and a community visioning session were conducted to assess the current internet service conditions and identify future digital priorities in Winneshiek County. Opportunities for organizational changes to the DMN and an open access network were assessed for strengths and weaknesses to identify possible legal issues, ability to expand the membership, and grow the physical network. Investment scenarios were developed to determine the spatial reach and financial feasibility of various expansion build-outs. The final recommendations are divided into two sections: organizational structure and investment scenarios. The organizational recommendations include opportunities, threats, and future considerations for the DMN moving forward as a tiered 28E organization, operating under an open access framework. The investment scenario recommendations involved assessing each scenario for the number of DMN and community goals achieved, as well as cost effectiveness. A final implementation plan was prepared to guide both the DMN and the community to further expand broadband access in the region.