Alberta SuperNet
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Alberta SuperNet uses a combination of fiber optic cable and wireless technology to reach 429 communities in rural Alberta. It is a high-speed, high-capacity network meant to increase the efficiency and reach of government offices, educational institutions, libraries and other public organizations, and healthcare facilities. The government of Alberta fully funds the project, and has contracts with Bell Canada and Axia to manage the network. Wendell Warman, Chairperson of the Battle River Alberta Economic Alliance (BRAED), has said, "SuperNet will help put rural Alberta on an equal footing with the larger urban centers. SuperNet could mean the long-term survival of areas like east central Alberta. BRAED’s goal is to be an active player in achieving this initiative."
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Fresno, CA
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Officials in the city of Fresno, California, recognized that by enabling officers broadband data access in their vehicles their effectiveness in fighting crime would increase significantly. Fast access to real-time information presented a critical factor and field time could be increased if reports were filed remotely. The solution was a citywide wireless broadband network that would provide always-available, real-time, high-speed connectivity to the city’s fleet of 250 police vehicles. The network would complement the City's aging 800 MHz legacy wireless infrastructure.
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Granbury, TX
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On March 1, 2006, the City of Granbury, Texas, launched a mesh network to increase the efficiency of local government agencies, enhance the availability of information for the local police, fire and emergency services departments, and provide affordable and accessible broadband for the local community. ISP RedMoon was charged with proving the reliability of the new mesh network, while the city secured the contracts and manpower to mount network assets. In 2007, Granbury purchased the Wi-Fi network from RedMoon and redeployed the assets to better fit its needs and those of its citizens.
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Houston North Forest Independent School District, TX
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The neighborhoods around the North Forest Independent School District in northeast Houston may be among the city’s poorest, but the district sees a significant opportunity for educational, social and economic development through the City of Houston’s broadband-wireless plans. Wireless infrastructure paired with Web-based accounts provided by Simdesk can give a boost to the district’s 10,000 students and their families. Students receive SimHouston accounts to access and submit assignments online anytime, anywhere through shared classroom folders. The accounts enable communication between the teacher and the student, the teacher and the parent, the superintendent and the community, and so on. An "S-Drive" enables file sharing between teachers, parents and students. With those folders, homework is always there, lesson plans are always there.
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Jigawa State, Nigeria
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There are few telephones to speak of in Nigeria’s arid Jigawa State. As recently as 2001, the population of four million mostly poor farmers had no information technology — let alone dial-up Internet access over clunky copper-wire infrastructure. But when Governor Ibrahim Turaki took office in 2000, he decided to change all this — and he wasn’t waiting for Nigeria’s telco or cellular operators to help. With $6 million in World Bank grants and state and federal monies, the governor bought two satellite dishes and set up 47 access points to connect schools, libraries, cyber cafes and a new university with Wi-Fi access. The state buys bandwidth from a European company at considerable expense, but it can now bring voice, data, and video capabilities to schools, university students, and local economic players. Local authorities facilitate the roll out with real-estate rights of way.
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Maine InfoNet
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The Maine InfoNet project was developed initially in 1996 with public funds and contributions from the Maine State Library, the Maine University System Libraries, and the Maine Library Community. It has as its vision the implementation and maintenance of educational and library resources in digital format, with easy access for citizens. To this end, the program works to build a Maine Digital Library, with supporting programs and applications. Currently, a statewide InfoNet Gateway is in use that contains over 3 million titles representing 6.7 million items and has significantly contributed to increased online requesting and lending.
In addition to the digital library project, Maine InfoNet runs a Walk-in-Wireless library initiative providing free wireless access to library users at over 60 public libraries. This program is growing, and is funded by a grant from the Maine Telecommunications Educational Access Fund.
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Sailor, Maryland Libraries
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Sailor is a project of Maryland Public Libraries. Sailor has evolved thoughtfully in step with the needs of its primary stakeholders, the libraries. It's history reflects the intention of Maryland’s public libraries to provide their customers with the best and most comprehensive access to information available. It is a story of the libraries as leading practitioners of good technological citizenship in Maryland and the World. Based out of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, the Sailor network connects the Maryland library system of 24 libraries. The further extends service to county governments, the education system, and community colleges. Initially, Sailor was funded by an allocation from the Federal Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Supplemental funding was provided by the state of Maryland.
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Medford, OR
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Medford, Oregon, deployed a mesh network across 21 square miles primarily to replace its public-safety department’s CDPD network. Police wanted transmission of video and remote access to databases. Firefighters wanted mapping and floor plans to find the best route to a call, and to get remote access to hazardous material data. But when project leaders evaluated the potential benefit to all city departments, they discovered that public works crews, code enforcement officers, and building inspectors would also benefit. The network would enable locates and work-order access in the field, saving 20 crews about an hour a day each — or $64 an hour, resulting in a $333,000 annual savings. By analyzing all the needs within its mobile workforce, Medford has been able to deliver a more robust ROI for itself. The network was funded initially by a $500,000 Homeland Security grant plus $200,000 from the City of Medford.
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Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative
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MBC is a not-for-profit cooperative created in 2003 with the aim of boosting the regional economy of Southside Virginia state. The organization currently plans to build out over 700 miles of new fiber optic infrastructure among rural communities, utilizing a pre-exisiting backhaul trunk that runs from Atlanta to Washington DC via Richmond. The program was initally funded by a six million dollar grant from the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, and a matching grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission. These funds allowed for the construction of the first 300 miles of fiber. The Virginia Tobacco Commission has provided another 28 million in funding that will allow for the extension of the network to twenty counties and over sixty business, technology, and industrial clusters.
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Keewatin-Patricia Scool District, Ontario
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One of the geographically largest education-focused broadband networks in North America shows how an enterprising district school board can develop a plan, gather resources and partners, and leapfrog a community of 7,000 rural students into the world of high-speed Internet access, videoconferencing and distance learning. The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, in remote northwestern Ontario, has connected a vast, isolated region of 71,000 square kilometers with a wireless back haul infrastructure while halving its telecommunication operating costs and increasing its bandwidth 10 to 100 times. Although not as fast as fiber,the new broadband-wireless network, deployed over four months in 2004, is a major advancement from the days when the district paid $3,000 a month to lease connectivity from a local ISP.
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Scottsburg, IN
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Thirty miles north of Louisville, Kentucky, sits Scottsburg, Indiana — the town that broadband forgot. No matter how hard Scottsburg tried, it could not deliver connectivity to its local business and residents. Then, in 2001, its mayor, Bill Graham, learned that Scottsburg and Scott County were on the brink of an economic crisis. A local military supplier nearly lost a million-dollar contract because it couldn’t e-mail a proposal on time. A local car dealer and its 72 employees were about to leave town because mechanics couldn’t download service manuals. Mayor Graham and a small team jumped into action — even requesting a spectrum analysis on Christmas Eve. Within four months, the town had put in place a broadband-wireless infrastructure for businesses and residents alike at a tune of $385,000. Everything is managed locally, and the city does its own billing.
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Washington DC WARN
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Responding to emergency events such as multiple-alarm building fires, chemical or biological attacks, or large-scale terrorist incidents requires immediate and rapid communications among multiple first-responders, including fire, police, and emergency medical services. The District of Columbia has implemented a cost-effective, high-speed, city-wide, wireless data network to enable the use of interoperable, broadband, wireless data applications for public safety communications. Using the Wireless Accelerated Responder Network, or WARN, first responders are able to use full-motion, high-resolution video monitoring and other bandwidth-intensive monitoring tools to immediately share time-critical information in the Washington DC area.
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