This toolkit is comprised of “How To” guides for creating a First Mile vision in your community. The following items will aid community leaders in discussions of big broadband for their communities. With these documents, leaders can assess their community's current state of broadband and to assist in making their community broadband goal become a reality.
The Politics of Broadband: Creating Your Own First Mile Vision 
This presentation was given by Susan Estrada at the USDA 2006 Rural Development Conference. It shows the possibilities and opportunities possible if a community employs broadband technology and also explores what a community needs to do in order to get broadband into their developments.
Big Broadband Bill of Rights
This Bill of Rights is a document that begins to set the stage for clear,
intelligent discussion about the links, the applications and the devices
that are needed to ensure that every member of the American public has access
to big broadband. Individuals and community groups can use it to start talking
locally about how to get big broadband deployed in their community.
CENIC's One Gigabit or Bust
Community Readiness Guide
This guide is a self-assessment tool designed to help determine the readiness
of your town, city, county or region to join the one-gigabit broadband world.
It offers a clear snapshot of where different communities fall along a continuum
of readiness. The guide will be most useful if used collaboratively by a
coalition of community members concerned about the area’s technological
and economic development. Working together, community members can pool knowledge,
data and experience to produce a shared strategic plan.
Gates Foundation Towards Equality
of Access Library Guide
This report evaluates the importance of library-based computers in addressing
the digital divide. Drawing from government statistics and independent research,
the report finds widespread acceptance of library-based computer and Internet
access from patrons and librarians. However, the report also notes urgent—but
manageable— challenges facing libraries as they seek to maintain and
further develop their role in providing access to digital information. This
valued public service can only be sustained by the continued support of
policymakers, librarians, and community advocates.
Nine
questions for Communities
This paper is a heavily revised version of a 1999 paper that looks at the
issues communities have to deal with, using the lens of broadband and economic
development. The paper looks at the global Knowledge Economy, explores the
notion of a "community information utility" as a permanent institution
in the community, and considers how to make communities more prosperous
in the face of global competition.
City
of Fontana ACES Business Plan
The City of Fontana investigated the benefits, costs and risks associated
with activating a fiber optic network. The City of Fontana’s view
for this network is a core infrastructure servicing all public entities,
including schools, and utilities in the City as well as a fiber to the community
(FTTC) infrastructure. This will include fiber to the home or business.
It is viewed as a catalyst to enable private sector corporations to provide
competitive services to City of Fontana businesses and residents, keeping
Fontana competitive with neighboring growth oriented communities.
Rio Rancho Intel video
This video shows how Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a rural city, is using wireless
broadband in their city to become a true digital city.