Dream Big. Think Gig.

The Future of Burlington — High-Speed Broadband

BTV IgniteAs part of its ultra high-speed broadband project initiative, US Ignite is naming 25 cities across the country Gig Cities.

This independent non-profit organization fosters the creation of the next generation of internet application for public benefit. Their intention is to bring leaders of the future together to develop new applications that can benefit the public in areas like, education, energy, health public safety and transportation.

From small to large municipalities, US Ignite chose these cities because of their entrepreneurship and innovation, with new business and civic projects drawn to these hubs of activity. US Ignite has named Burlington, Vermont the next Gig City, and Champlain College will play an important role in this ambitious five-year initiative.

What does this mean for Burlington?

Burlington will be able to offer one gigabit-per-second fiber internet service to all residents and businesses in the area, and have access to internet2, a large network of colleges and Universities that can share information, through a direct connection at the University of Vermont.

With the help of Champlain's Centers of Experience, US Ignite hopes to create 60 next-generation applications and 200 community test beds where these applications can be developed, tested, researched and deployed, over the next five years. 

What does this mean for Champlain?

  • Champlain currently has two Centers of Experience involved in the initiative: the Emergent Media Center and the Senator Leahy Center for Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity. Students who are involved with these Centers will be on the forefront of this innovative initiative, allowing them to develop and research these ideas.
  • The College will provide a dedicated Gig service to the Leahy Center. In connection with US Ignite the Leahy Center has submitted a grant proposal to build a scalable Cyber Security as Service model. Utilizing the citywide gigabit network, the Leshy Center will be able to create secure connections that can transport big data similar to how traditional LAN networks are used. We will be revolutionizing the way data is monitored/ collected during a cyber security/ digital forensic project. 
  • The  College's Emergent Media Center with this announcement and connection to Gig service is looking to create an Interactive System for Teachers to Customize their Curriculum to address the Learning Style of Every Student, and is also seeking funding for its Digital Field Guide, a project in development in conjunction with ECHO. This guide promotes science within and beyond the walls of ECHO, Burlington's Lake Aquarium and Science Center. 
  • Every residence hall, and throughout campus, will have a GIG of data available to them. With the average student owning 3 to 5 devices that require more and more bandwidth, Colleges struggle to solve the bandwidth problem. Devices such as tablets, smartphones, ipods, gaming consoles and e-readers used by today's students are high bandwidth consuming devices. Today in connection with the announcement of BTV Ignite, Champlain College is pleased to announce it is introducing GIG service to every residential student at Champlain. This will allow our students to explore, experiment and develop solutions in their own rooms.