Community Broadband Action Network

What Community Broadband Action Network does

Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN) is a member-driven nonprofit organization founded in 2017 in Iowa, operating as a 'do tank' for community broadband rather than a think tank. It serves a four-sided membership ecosystem: municipalities and community organizations (free Community membership), internet service providers committed to community-focused deployment (free Provider membership), broadband advocates (free Advocate membership), and broadband-adjacent service companies (paid Associate membership, $350–$750/year based on company size). The organization claims over 200 member organizations across 27 US states plus one Canadian province, with collective downstream impact on approximately one million people served by member broadband initiatives.

CBAN's core offerings are membership programs, media properties (Broadband Action podcast distributed across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon; Broadband Bytes weekly newsletter reaching 500+ subscribers), and biannual events (Spring Summit and Fall Forum, plus an OSS/BSS Spotlight pre-conference day). The 2026 Spring Summit drew over 160 attendees and was described as the largest event to date. The organization also operates a Digital Navigator Program in three southern Iowa counties (Taylor, Ringgold, Decatur) funded through a Google.org grant to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) under an $10 million cohort investment covering 18 grantees through August 2025. CBAN has two affiliated legal entities: CBAN Solutions LLC (formed 2018, the membership and education entity) and CBAN Corp., a 501(c)(4) nonprofit formed November 2021 with IRS letter of determination in January 2023 that handles digital equity advocacy and program work.

Revenue mechanics combine three streams: (1) Associate membership dues on a tiered subscription basis ($350 sole proprietor, $500 for 2–50 employees, $625 for 51–250 employees, $750 for 250+ employees); (2) event and partnership sponsorships structured in three tiers (CBAN Explorer $2,500, Broadband Backer $5,000, Broadband Champion $10,000 annually); and (3) programmatic grant funding, most notably the multi-year NDIA/Google.org Digital Navigator grant. CBAN Corp. is led by co-founder Curtis Dean, who in January 2026 was appointed the organization's first full-time Executive Director. Co-founders Jon Willow and Todd Kielkopf continue as advisors, with Jon Willow named a 2025 MSU REI Innovation Fellow researching AI for community-based coalitions. The organization does not develop proprietary technology products; its technology footprint consists of a content/media platform (podcast, newsletter, video channels), an Airtable-based digital membership application, and standard productivity tooling.

Name

Community Broadband Action Network

Legal name

Community Broadband Action Network

Website

https://broadbandaction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN) is a member-driven 501(c)(4) nonprofit founded in 2017 that serves municipalities, ISPs, advocates, and broadband service companies across 27+ US states. It provides education, peer networking, biannual summits, and digital equity programs to advance community broadband access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadband Advocacy and Digital Equity Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

Keywords

• Community broadband advocacy
• Digital equity services
• Broadband education network
• Municipal broadband support
• Digital navigator program

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianola

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Associate Membership Dues: Paid annual membership dues from companies offering broadband-related products and services. Fees scale by company size: single-employee/sole proprietorships $350/yr; 2-50 employees $500/yr; 51-250 employees $625/yr; above 250 employees $750/yr. Community, Provider, and Advocate memberships are free.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue from event registrations and sponsorships. Annual partnership opportunities offered at multiple tiers: Broadband Champion ($10,000), Broadband Backer ($5,000), and CBAN Explorer Sponsorship ($2,500). Events include Spring Summit, Fall Forum, and OSS/BSS Spotlight pre-conference.
3. Partnership Sponsorships: Annual partnership tiers providing visibility and thought leadership opportunities including logo placement, speaking opportunities, podcast appearances, and newsletter sponsorship. Higher tiers receive premium access to CBAN's digital presence and event platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN) is a nonprofit member-driven organization that provides education, mentorship, resource sharing, and partnership facilitation for community broadband stakeholders. It operates membership programs for communities, providers, associates, and advocates; delivers digital equity services such as the Digital Navigator Program in rural Iowa; and produces media properties including the Broadband Action Podcast and Broadband Bytes newsletter alongside biannual events (Spring Summit and Fall Forum).

Product overview

Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN) is a member-driven nonprofit organization (not a technology product company) that provides a collaborative network for community broadband stakeholders. Rather than a unified software product, CBAN's offerings consist of membership programs with tiered access, media properties (the Broadband Action Podcast and Broadband Bytes newsletter), signature events (biannual Spring Summit and Fall Forum), and direct service programs (Digital Navigator Program and Digital Equity Program Support). These components work together to provide education, mentorship, resource sharing, and hands-on guidance for communities working to improve broadband access, adoption, and affordability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Broadband Action Podcast

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and key.

• Lead for AmericasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023CBAN Corp. partnered with Lead for America to support Digital Fellows in rural Iowa and rural Michigan. The partnership expands CBAN's digital equity workforce capacity through AmeriCorps-affiliated program participants.
• AmeriCorpssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023CBAN Corp. partnered with AmeriCorps to place Digital Fellows in rural Iowa and rural Michigan, expanding digital equity program delivery capacity.
• National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022CBAN Corp. was selected as one of 18 cohort members in NDIA's National Digital Navigator Corps pilot program. The partnership provides programmatic and technical support to develop NDIA's digital navigator model for rural and Tribal communities. CBAN receives guidance and resources from NDIA while contributing to the national standard for digital equity programming delivery.
• Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAMU co-hosts the annual CBAN Spring Summit and powers the Tech Track sessions at the conference. The partnership combines CBAN's community broadband focus with IAMU's municipal utility membership base.
• Fiber Broadband AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBAN collaborates with the Fiber Broadband Association on industry events. FBA President and CEO Gary Bolton delivered the keynote at CBAN's 2026 Spring Summit.
• Institute for Local Self-ReliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBAN collaborates with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance on digital equity research, policy analysis, and community broadband advocacy. ILSR produces the ACP Dashboard referenced in CBAN content.
• COS SystemssupportingTechnology or IntegrationOSS/BSS provider presenting at CBAN's 2026 Spring Summit OSS/BSS Spotlight pre-conference day. Part of CBAN's industry ecosystem engagement.
• CHR SolutionssupportingTechnology or IntegrationOSS/BSS provider presenting at CBAN's 2026 Spring Summit OSS/BSS Spotlight pre-conference day.
• CalixsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner presenting at CBAN 2026 Spring Summit Tech Track sessions on installation excellence and customer experience.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Benton Institute for Broadband & Society: The Benton Institute is a nonprofit think tank focused on broadband policy and digital equity research. It competes for the same advocacy and policy-shaping mindshare as CBAN but operates with deeper research output and a different (research-first) positioning.
• Institute for Local Self-Reliance: ILSR's Community Broadband Networks Initiative produces research, policy analysis, and the MuniNetworks map tracking community broadband networks nationwide. CBAN explicitly partners with ILSR on digital equity research and policy work, making it the closest peer in mission and audience.
• National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA): NDIA is the national coalition advancing digital equity and is the convener of the National Digital Navigator Corps pilot in which CBAN participates. Both organizations serve overlapping audiences—libraries, municipalities, advocates—and collaborate on digital inclusion programming.
• Communities Unlimited: Communities Unlimited provides technical assistance, training, and capacity-building for underserved communities, including broadband planning. It appeared as a CBAN podcast guest and addresses nearly identical rural broadband and digital inclusion challenges.
• Next Century Cities: Next Century Cities is a bipartisan municipal coalition of over 200 cities and counties working to ensure fast, affordable, reliable broadband. It directly mirrors CBAN's community-membership model and policy advocacy focus on local broadband deployment.
• SHLB Coalition (Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband): SHLB advocates for broadband connectivity to anchor institutions and shares CBAN's focus on community-driven deployment and digital equity. Both organizations serve overlapping members—libraries, schools, municipalities—and participate in similar policy coalitions.
• National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA): NATOA is a professional association for local government staff who oversee cable, broadband, and telecommunications. Its members overlap significantly with CBAN's municipal utility and community membership base, and both organizations advocate for community broadband interests.

Others

• Lead for America: Lead for America places young leaders in rural and underserved communities. CBAN partners with Lead for America to host Digital Fellows in Iowa and Michigan, making it a program partner rather than a direct competitor, but both organizations operate in the rural capacity-building space.

Broad incumbents

• Fiber Broadband Association: FBA is the largest U.S. trade association for fiber broadband, with deep corporate membership and a national advocacy agenda. It partners with CBAN on events (FBA President keynoted the 2026 Spring Summit) but competes for sponsorships and influence in the same community broadband narrative.
• NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association: NTCA represents nearly 850 small, community-based rural broadband providers and offers deep policy, legal, and operational resources. It competes with CBAN for rural provider mindshare but at a much larger scale and with established federal advocacy leverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/broadbandaction
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@broadbandaction
• Facebookfacebook.com/BroadbandAction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/broadbandaction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Broadband Action Network