The Gigabit Community Fund project catalyzes the development of applications (apps) that leverage ultra-high speed broadband networks in service to education and workforce development needs. The project integrates institutional partnerships, an incentivizing fund to support app development, and a repository of open source tools, code, and documentation to develop learning laboratories for the next generation Internet.
Extending the work of the US Ignite Application Challenge project, the Gigabit Community Fund continues the progression from ideation to build to pilot. The project adopts Mozilla's model of Hive Learning Networks in which collaborative teams in each of the partner cities, Chattanooga and Kansas City, link developers with local anchor institutions to create user-centric apps. The Gigabit Community Fund advances understanding in three critical domains: 1) the development process of the gigabit apps themselves, including specifics of code and strategy; 2) designing compelling STEM applications that increase learning and engagement; and 3) optimizing features of a national ecosystem for gigabit innovation.
The Gigabit Community Fund project demonstrates the potential for and capacity of ultra-high speed broadband networks to make significant contributions to public sector needs. The pilot apps generated through the project seeds demand for and investment in technology infrastructure while serving an immediate national imperative to increase access and engagement in STEM learning, particularly by traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities. Through the creation of dynamic learning laboratories, the Gigabit Community Fund project informs the national conversations on infrastructure, app development, and STEM.
