Community Project Highlights
Allentown, PA
US Ignite and the Center for Sustainable Innovation (CSI) partnered to launch a groundbreaking project focused on outdoor air quality in Allentown, PA. This collaboration, driven by IoT networks and data analytics, aims to create a community-centric approach to social impact. The project targets sustainable urban planning and community engagement, fostering equity and resilience. Stakeholders are encouraged to join this transformative effort for a healthier and more sustainable future.
Columbus, OH
The City of Columbus, Ohio, is pursuing a public-private partnership to extend its 1200-1300 mile fiber network, aiming to provide affordable Gigabit service to its residents, especially in under-resourced neighborhoods. US Ignite provides insights on best practices and facilitates communications with key broadband providers. The final proposal will address funding, monetization, legal reviews, and more, as part of a 25-year contract focused on maximizing the city’s fiber assets for the greatest value.
Eugene/Springfield
As a regional convenor, Collaborative EDO (CEDO) focuses on pinpointing local priorities and forming strategic partnerships through innovative projects. Serving as a facilitator, US Ignite works with CEDO to create a space for local and regional stakeholders to exchange innovative ideas, address regional challenges, and initiate projects that promote tech-driven economic development. This approach has enhanced the community’s ability to secure federal funding and serves as a valuable model of how partnerships can generate significant impact.
Greensboro, NC
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in partnership with Lumos and US Ignite has launched a program providing students with free Internet access at home. This initiative aims to bridge the digital divide and ensure that students have reliable connectivity for their academic activities. Through partnerships with local Internet service providers, eligible students can access high-speed Internet at no cost, enhancing their ability to participate in online learning and stay connected with educational resources.
Harris County, TX
In 2020, Harris County launched a Broadband and Digital Equity Strategy, and now, the team enters a phase that includes deploying procurement vehicles to understand project feasibility and opportunities for expansion. With a windfall of federal funding, additional steps are necessary to ensure the county adequately addresses its digital equity and broadband needs and utilizes federal funding. With the support of US Ignite, Harris County is working towards a broadband feasibility study and exploring options to update the county’s broadband network.
Henderson, NV
Henderson, NV, is engaged in a city-wide project to redesign and replace their streetlight luminaires and streetlight poles. US Ignite supported the city in designing the Request for Proposal (RFP) and evaluation process and continues to be engaged with the project’s execution phase. The new LED light fixtures will result in significant energy savings and provide additional lighting control features to the city. US Ignite is collaborating with the City and project consultants to design and implement a private network that will enhance connectivity to the city’s backend services. Additionally, the project aims to deploy a new network of IoT devices that will enable better monitoring and control, enhance public safety, and provide new city services.
Joplin, MO
Joplin, MO is on a journey to become a testbed for resiliency to natural disasters and adopted the Smarter Joplin Roadmap in 2019. US Ignite supported the assembly of diverse stakeholder groups, including private, academic, and municipal leaders who deployed pilots to test the efficacy of CBRS in public parks and outdoor festivals. Following that work, US Ignite assisted in creating the Request for Proposal (RFP) and selecting a vendor for broadband infrastructure. Once live, the project will leverage federal funds to incentivize more than $60 Million in private investment to connect all residents to fiber.
Long Beach, CA
The City of Long Beach recently launched its Long Beach Collaboratory (LB Co-Lab), a community-based effort to engage community members in an immersive and collaborative technology deployment and training process to design a technology solution that works for them. Partnering with technology experts, city staff, workforce development leaders, and community facilitators, this innovative model helps to pilot and deploy resident-driven solutions to neighborhood challenges. US Ignite helped to facilitate one session with residents on an overview of smart city solutions and is continuing to work with the City on efforts to expand and grow the LB Co-Lab model.
Pittsburgh, PA
US Ignite is thrilled to partner with the City of Pittsburgh as it grows and expands on the release of the Community Strategic Plan from the Pittsburgh Digital Equity Coalition. Pittsburgh is embarking on a bold plan to expand digital access to residents across the city and explore ways to upgrade its broadband infrastructure to help power the next generation of smart city applications. Pittsburgh has ambitious plans to partner with the InnovatePGH to support its rapidly expanding network of entrepreneurs and businesses in robotics, healthcare, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Philadelphia, PA
The City’s Office of Innovation and Technology recognized the Department of Transportation’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program as an opportunity to enhance Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure in the community. Their goal was to use these funds to create sustainable practices that align with the City’s equity and energy objectives. US Ignite organized and delivered a series of technical workshops that examined EV technology and policy examples from around the country. These workshops gathered various regional agencies and departments to foster a collaborative understanding of how to support the EV transition best. As a result, an EV task force was established, charged with developing policy guidelines for EV infrastructure throughout the city.
South Bend, IN
South Bend is working to generate a ten-year Smart City Road Map that includes and builds upon their ongoing work. They manage a CBRS network and deploy a network of air quality monitoring sensors, amongst other initiatives. As they think toward the future and expand upon their work, US Ignite is leading a future of intersections workshop training focusing on research and development and federal funding preparedness.
Syracuse, NY
The City of Syracuse collaborated with US Ignite to enhance broadband access through Surge Link, a new community network. This partnership aims to bridge the digital divide, providing high-speed Internet to underserved areas and fostering economic growth. Surge Link’s innovative infrastructure supports smart city initiatives, empowering residents and businesses with advanced connectivity. By leveraging US Ignite’s expertise in community networks and digital equity, Syracuse paves the way for inclusive technological development and digital innovation. This initiative signifies a commitment to ensuring equitable access to broadband and driving socio-economic progress in the region.
West Lafayette, IN
West Lafayette is committed to progressing shared goals to ensure a more sustainable, resilient future for the community, with equity at the forefront of change. US Ignite partners closely with the Innovation Partners Institute at the Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) to help the city achieve these goals. Together with PRF and the City of West Lafayette, US Ignite launched the first-ever West Lafayette Smart City Challenge. This initiative aimed to foster innovation and collaboration in creating smart city solutions by inviting startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators to propose ideas that address challenges faced by West Lafayette, such as transportation, infrastructure, and sustainability.
