Rural Communications – What is a Rural Municipality’s Role?

Many governments in the world have now recognized that rural communications is a utility, and as a result have implemented regulations and provided capital and operating funding to ensure that all communication services (broadband, mobility, public safety) are available to all residents and businesses. The term public utility refer to a set of services consumed by the public and traditionally have included electricity, natural gas, water, and sewage. It is essential that rural municipalities recognize that communications is a public utility and understand that their role in assisting private industry in removing the economic barriers to building reliable, scalable, and sustainable communication networks in rural areas