UC2B Ground Breaking in Douglass Park

The UC2B ground breaking took place on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 in Douglass Park, the location chosen to symbolize the low-income neighborhoods the federally-funded broadband project is supposed to impact the greatest. The initiative is aimed at bridging the “digital divide” by installing high-speed internet in communities across the United States.

Funded by the federal stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the broadband project in Urbana-Champaign (nicknamed UC2B) is expected to serve as a national model. As Urbana City Council member Brandon Bowersox (pictured above) told the crowd assembled in the park, UC2B was to serve 250 community institutions and 2,500 homes. The local project, said Bowersox, was a “public-public-public-private partnership.” It involves Champaign, Urbana, the University of Illinois, and private contractors. Champaign Mayor Don Gerard compared the broadband project to Edison’s light bulb.

The broadband project was established to service communities lacking access to the internet. The network laid down will service city buildings, schools, libraries, churches, and community centers.