UC2B is currently in a situation where it needs to start making decisions regarding its operational structure. Because the University is currently the lead agency and makes the decisions about the construction of the network (but does not want to be involved in its operation) there is debate as to who should be making these decisions and how the network should be run upon its completion. Will UC2B have its own staff to operate the network or will they hire a third party for that function? Though the network is required to be "open access" (meaning all service providers will be allowed to operate over the UC2B network), it is unclear how that will be managed and if UC2B itself will provide service packages.

This is a key issue for the future of the network, and one of the best ways to determine an answer is to research what other communities have done in the past, and how their decisions impacted the effectiveness of their networks.

In a recent Ars Technica article called Tale of the trench: what if your subdivision laid its own fiber?, Philip Palios describes his experience using and being involved in the administrative responsibilities of a community-owned network in Issaquah, Washington, called the Highlands Fiber Network.

This fiber optic network provides very high speeds that, according to Palios, have an advantage on the upstream compared to bigger ISPs like Comcast. However, the local nature of the network carries several disadvantages. Local service providers, whether in television, phone, or internet, can sometimes have issues with reliability and financial stability. Furthermore, outages are more common on a locally-owned network and customer support is not as responsive.

The Highlands Fiber Network also locks its customers into a subscription by adding their requirement to the terms of living in that community. According to Palios, this decreases competition and frustrates subscribers.

In the end, Palios states that any community looking into owning their own fiber optic network should consider the cost of implementation and maintenance, but the most important aspect is finding an ISP with proven competence that can provide quality services.