Faster, more reliable, and secure broadband access to the internet is the fundamental infrastructure of the knowledge economy for the 21^st century. Those who have it will prosper – those who do not will flounder and watch as the rest of the world moves ahead. “Faster” broadband is relative. Today, the FCC’s technical threshold for broadband is 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload (25/3). This level of service is rapidly becoming inadequate with the rapid growth of video, voice, big data transmission, artificial intelligence, and critical real time connectivity. This is especially true with new approaches to work, education, and healthcare delivery. Due to the high fixed cost associated with the technologies, both public and private involvement in broadband development is warranted in the financial and regulatory realms to ensure adequate levels of competition which will deliver more favorable pricing and customer service to the consumer and organizations in the long-run. While placing a monetary value on broadband and calculating a ROI is difficult, the broad consensus considers the returns very substantial. This whitepaper briefly considers challenges, value, and approaches of securing needed broadband at the community level.