Tech Companies, Government Agencies in First Phase of Ultra Fast Broadband Initiative
Several super-fast Internet initiatives were introduced this year to address the need for citizens to have access to broadband and benefit from emerging applications, backers of one such project said Wednesday. Backers of the White House-convened US Ignite Partnership cited Gig.U, the University Community Next Generation Innovation Project and Google’s fiber project in Kansas City, Kan. The need for more capacity and universal access stems in part from the use of wireless networks and developing applications, said Sue Spradley, US Ignite executive director. With all that’s happening in the wireless space, “it’s clear that there’s tons of innovation happening in the U.S.,” she said on a webinar organized by BroadbandUS.TV.
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US Ignite aims to foster applications development and services for ultra-fast broadband and software-defined networks. With $20 million invested by the National Science Foundation, new technologies will be deployed to advance the development of ultra high-speed, programmable broadband networks, the program said. It will use NSF’s Global Environment for Networking Innovations (GENI) project, which connects universities with next-generation broadband connections, said Suzi Iacono, senior science adviser for the NSF directorate for computer and information science and engineering. The project will expose more people to the GENI network, she said: It’s programmable from the edge to the network stack, “meaning you can develop a whole new customized network to do what you would like it to do."
Another goal is to develop applications that can be used for solutions in health care and public education, speakers said. “Our goal is to serve as a clearinghouse” and create and facilitate applications over the years, said William Wallace, US Ignite project director. An app may promote workforce development by allowing employers to recruit and certify workers remotely, he said. The program plans to enable about 200 communities with the GENI network over the next five years, he added. “We want to see how we can get these networks to be used for solutions in society,” said Link Hoewing, Verizon assistant vice president. The company is collaborating with US Ignite to give users in Philadelphia the ability to use Verizon FiOS to develop applications, he said. There are a lot of hospitals and research facilities in Philadelphia that are doing cutting-edge work, he said: The project will “look at what can be done on these networks for advanced solutions in the home as well.” Mozilla Foundation, One Community, Cisco and Juniper are among other partners for US Ignite.
Chattanooga, Tenn., public utility EPB is offering its fiber network and IPTV capability to help US Ignite achieve its goal, said Jim Ingraham, EPB vice president. Allowing access to bandwidth and enabling opportunities to innovate isn’t just about network speed, he said. “The speed isn’t all that relevant. … The question is what are we doing with these networks?” The more cities that acquire bandwidth, “the more capacity they will have to participate in commerce,” he added. DCNet, the fiber optic area network in Washington, plans to look to other cities engaged in US Ignite for ideas, said Tegene Baharu, Washington deputy chief technology officer. The system is engaged in research and development for applications to assist in health information technology and public education, he said. “We're partnering with academia to see how to leverage capacity to tie it into other communities in the U.S.”