Webinar Archive: Blandin Foundation Partnership Models

1. Public-Private Partnerships

2. To Partner or Not To Partner?
Benefits
• Improves broadband
services
• Increases private sector ROI
• Lessens community input
• Spreads risk
• Eases political sell
• Leverages partner strengths
Risks
• Loss of control
• Unbalanced partnership
agreement
– Privatize profits
– Socialize losses
• Partner fails to perform
over the short and/or long
term
– Poor technology choice
– Poor sales and service
– Ownership change

3. Selecting a Partner
Know thyself
• Prioritize your goals
– Reduce financial risk
– Control over service offerings
– Ubiquity
– Affordability
– Competition
– Economic development
• Take your time
Know thy partner
• Compatible goal fit
• Reputation for service
• Technology preferences
• Long term ownership plan

4. Ways to Partner
Direct Financial Participation
• Sell bonds to finance
network
• Capital lease to finance the
network
• Reduce/eliminate ROW and
permit fees
• Prepay for services through
long term contract
Non-cash Value
• Organize and aggregate
demand of major customers
• Provide free or low-cost
office/facility space for
start-up operations
• Community marketing
events
• Ensure prompt permitting
and inspections

6. Partnership Agreements
• Process for information sharing
• Process for decision making
• Process for settling disputes
• Process for parting ways
• Relying on people and processes cementing a
long term relationship