A Partnership Model for Municipal Internet Providers: Increasing Broadband Adoption in Manufactured Housing Communities

Introduction

Municipal broadband networks are expanding rapidly to improve connectivity, digital equity, and local economic resilience. Yet many municipal internet providers face a persistent challenge: low subscriber adoption in manufactured housing communities (MHCs) even when fiber or high-capacity infrastructure already passes these areas.

The issue is not simply network availability. It is a combination of property coordination, last-mile deployment complexity, and resident engagement barriers. Traditional residential sales and installation models are poorly suited to the physical layouts, ownership structures, and customer dynamics of land-lease communities.

This paper outlines a partnership model in which a specialized last-mile operator works alongside a municipal network to convert “passed” MHC homes into high-adoption broadband environments. By combining multi-technology deployment strategies, property-level coordination, and high-touch customer activation, municipal providers can dramatically increase take rates while reducing operational strain and political risk.

The Adoption Gap in Manufactured Housing Communities

Municipal networks often report that MHCs show:

• Lower-than-expected take rates

• Higher install complexity and cost per home

• Slower property owner cooperation

• Greater customer support needs

• Continued reliance on wireless hotspots or legacy providers

Despite being key digital equity targets, MHCs do not behave like traditional single-family neighborhoods. Several factors contribute:

1. Property Structure Differences

Homes are resident-owned, but land and infrastructure access are controlled by a community owner. This creates a split decision-making environment that slows deployment and marketing.

2. Nonstandard Infrastructure Conditions

Communities often include:

• Mixed aerial and buried plant

• Limited conduit or aging utilities

• Tight home spacing

• Installation constraints related to home skirting and layout

Standard fiber drop models may be technically possible but economically inefficient without adaptation.

3. Trust and Switching Barriers

Residents may:

• Be price-sensitive

• Fear service interruptions

• Lack awareness of new options

A network being “available” does not automatically translate into subscriptions.

4. Municipal Operational Constraints

Cities and utilities are typically not structured to:

• Conduct door-to-door activation

• Negotiate individual community access agreements

• Manage high-touch in-home Wi-Fi education

• Customize deployment methods per property

As a result, communities are passed by infrastructure but underperform in subscriber conversion.

A New Model: The MHC Adoption Partner

To address this gap, municipal networks can partner with a specialized operator focused on MHC environments. This partner functions as an adoption and last-mile integration layer between the city network and the community.

Benefits include:

Property-Level Coordination

• Negotiating access and deployment agreements

• Designing standardized pathways for drops and equipment

• Aligning installation logistics with property management

• Marketing of service within the parks

This removes a major administrative burden from municipal teams.

Multi-Technology Deployment Strategy

Rather than relying on a single delivery method, the partner can select the most efficient solution per environment, including:

• Fiber drops where cost-effective

• Fixed wireless overlays for hard-to-reach homes

• Wireless bridging from fiber-fed nodes

• Hybrid approaches for temporary or high-churn residences

This flexibility reduces per-home connection cost and speeds activation.

Community-Scale Activation

Instead of individual address marketing, the partner runs coordinated adoption campaigns:

• On-site enrollment events

• Door-to-door engagement

• Community-specific materials

• Referral programs within the park

• Property office endorsements

• Very specific marketing materials are tailored for micro-geographies.

This approach accelerates take rates from long-term gradual growth to concentrated adoption within months.

Customer Experience Ownership

Many support calls stem from in-home issues rather than network performance. A specialized partner can provide:

• Installers experienced with mobile home environments

• Whole-home Wi-Fi setup

• Device connection assistance

• Clear billing education

• Localized or language-specific support where needed

This improves customer satisfaction while reducing strain on municipal call centers.

Partnership Structures

Municipal providers can implement this model in several ways:

Wholesale Access Model

The municipal network provides backbone and bandwidth at a wholesale rate. The partner manages last-mile connectivity within the community, customer onboarding, and support.

Revenue Share Model

The municipal network remains the retail provider of record, while the partner handles community acquisition, installations, and local engagement in exchange for a revenue share.

Managed Community Program

The partner operates as a dedicated MHC division under co-branded or white-label arrangements, giving municipalities a specialized channel without building internal capacity.

Each model allows the city to grow adoption while maintaining public ownership of core infrastructure.

Benefits to Municipal Networks

Higher Take Rates
Coordinated activation and property-level agreements can significantly increase subscriber penetration in previously underperforming areas.

Improved ROI on Existing Infrastructure
Communities already passed by fiber represent sunk capital. Increased adoption directly improves financial sustainability.

Support for Digital Equity Goals
MHCs often house lower-income or underserved residents. Higher adoption advances inclusion objectives without requiring new builds.

Reduced Operational Burden
The partner absorbs much of the complexity around installations, property coordination, and high-touch support.

Lower Political Risk
Better customer experiences mean fewer complaints to city leadership and stronger public perception of the network.

Conclusion

Manufactured housing communities represent one of the most important — and most misunderstood — segments in municipal broadband deployment. The primary barrier to adoption is not infrastructure availability, but the mismatch between traditional ISP models and the realities of land-lease communities.

By partnering with a specialized MHC adoption operator, municipal internet providers can transform these communities from low-performing service areas into high-engagement, high-impact broadband environments. This model converts passed homes into paying subscribers, advances digital equity, and maximizes the public return on public network investment.