The COVID-19 pandemic exposed America’s stark inequality in broadband access. Struggling as a result of previous policy and market failures, local municipalities across the country are taking matters into their own hands and exploring various ways to provide crucial broadband infrastructure, particularly to the unserved and underserved population. This project explores case studies in Texas, Minnesota, and California to identify the key factors leading to community efforts to expand broadband access. Overall, this thesis finds that the development and engagement of community resources, the presence of active agents, a project’s positive impact, and the opportunities created by the pandemic stimulated local broadband development. Interestingly, these cases show that the initial lack of community resources need not impede local broadband infrastructure expansion if community actors collaborate to promote collective impact. Implications for federal and state policy include enhanced and flexible support for community actors while preferencing the national ISPs less.