COVID-19 Resources
This page provides users with information on past and upcoming webinars, links to related blog posts, and federal funding opportunities targeting COVID response.
COVID-19 Trends in Smart Communities
In this report, Trends in Smart Communities: 2020, we outline areas of work underway to help communities, and we share several successful deployments of smart city initiatives (projects, applications, or services) in categories that include:
- Closing Broadband Gaps
- Supporting Public Health
- Creating Healthy Public Spaces
- Reframing Education
- Enhancing Workforce Development
- Increasing Resiliency
COVID-19 Webinars
Webinar viewers hear from industry experts and community leaders about projects they are implementing and adapting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we discover and explore new technology-informed approaches and learn how organizations are progressing on their own response strategies. Each webinar includes a Q&A session where attendees can directly engage with the experts and share their stories of the work they are doing in their communities.
These webinars are open for anyone to attend. Let us know of other topics that your community may be interested in, or any questions you have by contacting [email protected].
Click on the title for an upcoming event to register, or click on the title for a past event to view the recording and additional resources.
Past Events
Bridging Broadband Gaps During COVID-19
Community approaches to bridging network needs during the COVID-19 crisis. During this session, panelists discussed how they are ramping up efforts in dense, urban environments with CBRS-backed public Wi-Fi, with a statewide system of school bus hotspots, and with a new network of solar-powered, mobile hotspots built on a network of trailers.
Data and COVID-19 Support
Community approaches to communication and coordination. Speakers from a spectrum of organizations within communities – from government and non-profits to small businesses – shared real world experiences and the resources they used in COVID-19 response efforts related to food insecurity for seniors, crowdsourcing information on the availability of common household supplies, and the use of satellite imagery to support staging of medical professionals near hospitals. Presenters included a representative from Boston city government, app developers, and the Food Bank of Central New Jersey. They shared data sources, tools, and analysis techniques.
3D Printing and COVID-19
Crowd-sourcing the supply chain in crisis. Speakers talked about how they have stepped up to address product and equipment shortages in their communities by printing faceshields and adapted components for over-the-counter ventilators. Additional resources include 3D Print Files and Build Instructions.
Federal Funding Resources
A list of federal funding resources addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic
US Ignite Federal Funding Portal – US Ignite has updated its federal funding portal to include COVID-19 federal funding opportunities as they are announced. Apply the filter for COVID-19 under ‘Sector’ to find available grants.- COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide – A matrix of programs by USDA and its federal partners that can be used to provide immediate and long-term assistance to rural communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. These programs can support efforts for rural residents, businesses, and communities through: technical training and management assistance, financial assistance, and state and local assistance.
- Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act – This guide provides information about the major programs and initiatives available from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to address these needs, as well as some additional tax provisions that are outside the scope of SBA.
Blog Posts
Blog posts by US Ignite on relevant topics for communities.
- Improving Connectivity During the COVID-10 Crisis. A list of actions that carriers and service providers should consider to improve broadband connectivity and support overall community resilience during the current health crisis.
- Lessons for Broadband Investment in a Post-Pandemic World. Community successes coming from existing public investments in broadband.
Background on Smart Gigabit Communities
Through the Smart Gigabit Communities program, created with National Science Foundation support, US Ignite has worked with communities across the U.S., Canada, and Australia to develop and implement smart city strategies in ways that address economic development and accelerate regional innovation. This work has established a valuable network of more than 30 communities, each actively leveraging technology to meet the challenges of the present, and build opportunities for the future.
