This session will explore the changing landscape of broadband infrastructure ownership and compare different ownership models, including ISP-owned networks, municipal networks, utility lease models, developer-installed infrastructure, and open access wholesale networks. The discussion will examine how risk, financing, and long-term infrastructure planning differ depending on who owns the network, and why many service providers are shifting toward asset-light models.

We will also discuss how infrastructure ownership decisions affect competition, deployment speed, long-term maintenance, and community outcomes, and why no single ownership model is applicable to every market.