US Ignite and Spectrum Select St. Petersburg, Florida as Newest Smart Gigabit Community

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, US Ignite, a non-profit organization seeking to accelerate the smart city movement, and Spectrum announced the selection of St. Petersburg as a Smart Gigabit Community, with the St. Petersburg Innovation District serving as the convening partner.

The Innovation District's participation in this project was made possible by a generous three-year grant from Spectrum. This announcement marks the beginning of a smart cities collaboration between Spectrum, a leading broadband communications company and the second largest cable operator in the United States, and St. Petersburg, as well as the first joint initiative between Spectrum and US Ignite.

"I want to thank the St. Petersburg Innovation District for working so hard to not only explore smart city technologies, but to be a leader in growing our startup ecosystem," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. "I am particularly grateful to US Ignite as well as Spectrum for choosing the Innovation District as a partner for this incredible venture. As a Smart Gigabit Community, the Sunshine City will be able to provide the very best tools to entrepreneurs, helping them build great companies and create real solutions for St. Petersburg."

US Ignite launched the Smart Gigabit Communities program with the National Science Foundation in 2015, and today the project includes twenty seven member communities. Each participating community in the program receives access to a low-latency and ultra-fast network with local cloud computing and storage capabilities that support highly interactive and visually immersive experiences not possible on today's commercial Internet.

As the latest addition to the Smart Gigabit Communities program, the St. Petersburg Innovation District aims to use its newfound resources to develop advanced applications and services that address local needs such as infrastructure, workforce development, public safety, education, and community health. The resulting efforts will add to a catalog of more than 150 applications and services developed throughout the Smart Gigabit Communities network over the last three years. These technology advancements are expected to shape the way that residents of St. Petersburg and visitors, live, work and play.

Additional supporting quotes:

"We are thrilled to welcome Spectrum and the St. Petersburg Innovation District to our Smart Gigabit Communities program as we continue to develop new opportunities for public-private collaboration," said William Wallace, Executive Director of US Ignite. "We strongly support the Innovation District's mission of developing St. Petersburg into an environment that fosters job growth, economic development, and learning and inspiration by bringing innovative people and organizations together, and we are confident they will be the catalyst for many exciting technological developments in St. Petersburg."

"It is an honor to be named the innovation partner for the Smart Gigabit Communities program," said Alison Barlow, Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Innovation District. "Working together with US Ignite, Spectrum, and the City will allow us to foster entrepreneurial growth as outlined in the City's Grow Smarter Initiative with a targeted focus on the industries of marine/life science, data analytics, specialized manufacturing, financial services, and creative arts and design."

"Working with the city of St. Petersburg is a great opportunity for Spectrum," said Phil Meeks, Executive Vice President and President of Spectrum Enterprise. "We already provide extensive gigabit network infrastructure in St. Petersburg and look to also provide new and innovative connectivity options that are both key components for a smart city. Our technology expertise combined with the dedication and resources of the Innovation District can help stimulate the development of advanced applications and solutions for utilities and infrastructure, public safety and intelligent transportation."

About US Ignite
US Ignite, a public-private non-profit organization, seeks to accelerate the smart city movement – and create value for an entire ecosystem – by guiding communities into the connected future, creating a path for private sector growth, and advancing technology research that's at the heart of smart city development. To learn more visit www.us-ignite.org.

About Spectrum
Spectrum is a suite of advanced broadband services offered by Charter Communications, Inc., a leading broadband communications company and the second largest cable operator in the United States. Spectrum provides a full range of services, including Spectrum TV®, Spectrum Internet®, Spectrum Voice® and Spectrum Mobile™. Spectrum Business® similarly provides scalable, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to small and medium sized business organizations, including Internet access, business telephone, and TV services. Spectrum Enterprise is a national provider of scalable, fiber-based technology solutions serving many of America's largest businesses and communications service providers. Charter's advertising sales and production services are sold under the Spectrum Reach® brand. Charter's news and sports networks are operated under the Spectrum Networks brand. More information about Spectrum can be found at spectrumsmartcities.com.

About St. Petersburg Innovation District
St. Petersburg Innovation District is a designated area adjacent to downtown St. Petersburg with members from that area, as well as across Pinellas County. The District's vision is that by harnessing the potential of people, institutions and businesses in the St. Petersburg area we can generate collaborative solutions that will benefit the world. In doing so job growth, economic development and learning and inspiration is fostered.

 

SOURCE Spectrum