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Why only “Broadband” – Why not “Gigabit Fiber” for Montana? Let’s build for the future. Digital Town Squares Drive Economic Development
Digital Town Squares Drive Economic Development
Without high-speed connectivity, communities can’t hope to compete in the knowledge economy or provide smart-city services to their citizens. But connectivity alone doesn’t guarantee success. Communities must take proactive steps to leverage that connectivity. A combination of enabling technologies, organization, and dedicated local effort is needed for cities to become truly “smart communities.”
US Ignite, a nonprofit organization the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation launched in 2012, runs several initiatives that help accelerate the smart-community movement and guide communities into the connected future. One of these, the Smart Gigabit Communities project, is a network of more than two dozen communities developing applications and services to address smart-city and IoT challenges. All these communities already have at least some access to gigabit broadband; now they are using that capacity to encourage economic innovation and better delivery of public services.
US Ignite Announced Project OVERCOME to Grow Broadband Access
Project OVERCOME, led by US Ignite and funded by the National Science Foundation, will select five proof-of-concept projects to grow access to broadband connectivity in underserved or unserved areas.
Many thanks to Gordon Fowler of Bozeman Fiber for recommending that Montana build for the future.
BOZEMAN’S LIGHTSPEED NETWORK
Bozeman Fiber wants to attract and retain businesses and create great jobs. As a non-profit guided by a board of Bozeman business leaders, we are constantly working with our community partners and service providers to provide world class Gigabit fiber service. Our system is up and running with more than 28 miles of fiber. Every week we are adding customers who share the value of our network with our business community. Our goal is to provide new business development and existing business’ the opportunity to step into the future with our astoundingly fast, reliable and affordable high speed broadband network.
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I absolutely agree that 25/3 is an outdated target made especially true in the pandemic. You may be interested in a study commissioned by the Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition about the cost of bringing fiber to community anchors in the US: The cost of deploying high-speed, fiber optic broadband to community anchor institutions. .
It’s a big number but it gives us a target.
Jennie Stepp
Montana State Librarian
406.444.3116
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