By Lizzette Arias, Senior Manager – Communications, US Ignite
During a recent US Ignite All Communities call, Joshua Edmonds told an origin story for the books. DigitalC’s ongoing success can be traced to Cleveland joining US Ignite Communities in 2012 and staying active in the network, receiving advice and mentorship on strategies to help shape affordable, community-rooted broadband. But when DigitalC won one of seven Project OVERCOME grants, funded by the National Science Foundation and administered by US Ignite, it leveled up by supporting their ability to build and pilot a community-run network.
Project OVERCOME sparked the question, “Could we build a citywide community-based model?” Not only did the pilot deliver early proof that would later create larger philanthropic investments, but it reinforced that local support and community trust needed to be part of the effort.
Impossible to Improbable to Impactful
From 2024 through 2026, DigitalC built a citywide community-based model in Cleveland. Of course, doubts about DigitalC’s ability to execute existed. Could the network be built at all? Could the organization turn belief into scale? Could the model be scaled, earn trust, and be replicated?
Watch Joshua Edmonds tell the story here.
“... DigitalC would not be where we are today if it had not been for US Ignite.” Joshua Edmonds, CEO, DigitalC
The challenge was steep. The City of Cleveland allocated $20 million in ARPA funds to support installations and digital skilling throughout a four year performance-based contract. DigitalC had the goal of scaling from roughly 2,000 connected residents to 23,500 households within four years.
Although additional philanthropic support, including $20 million from the Mandel Foundation, $10 million from the State of Ohio, and $3 million from Myers Foundation, other hurdles stacked up fast:
- Cleveland’s dense tree canopy made 100 Mbps symmetrical wireless service seem out of reach.
- Internally, the team didn’t have a modern CRM. Staff members were signing residents up with pencil and paper.
- Political opposition added pressure, with council members questioning whether DigitalC could deliver and incumbent providers lobbying hard against the project.
When DigitalC connected 2,802 households in 2024 instead of the 3,200 required, the organization was penalized $1 million and put $5 million in grants at risk. For many, that confirmed the model was impossible, if not highly improbable.
But DigitalC found a way through. Tarana Wireless technology solved the canopy problem and let the team cut its tower count from 120 to 58 while still hitting required speeds, completing the citywide build in 17.5 months. A CRM replaced pen and paper, Google invested $500,000 in equipment, and the tech stack expanded to connect multi-dwelling units faster.
By 2025, subscriber growth had surpassed 7,500 households, and once-skeptical council members were championing DigitalC in their newsletters.
By 2026, the results speak for themselves: close to 13,000 connections serving roughly 30,000 residents, a 4.7-star rating across hundreds of Google reviews, a $3.5 million investment from Rocket Community Fund to bring the model to Detroit, and recognition as one of America’s fastest-growing community-based networks.
What started with the question “could we build a citywide community-based model?” is now known as the Cleveland Model, and it’s one other communities can learn from.