The District of Columbia connected 260 community anchor institutions to its network as part of the DC Community Access Network (DC-CAN) project. The 195-mile high-speed middle mile network serves the city’s economically distressed areas, including approximately 55 schools, 20 libraries, 70 healthcare facilities, and 60 public safety sites.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Fire and Emergency Management Services (FEMS) are one core group that used the increased speed to improve communications and access to bandwidth-intensive applications. “As Internet use moves toward video and other data-intensive applications, this network is well-positioned to support such next-generation apps without the need for further infrastructure upgrades for at least a decade,” said DC Chief Technology Officer Rob Mancini. “By expanding to an established 100 Gbps platform, the District has invested in an efficient and economically viable solution based on proven technology.”