New Haven, CT May 3, 2017
The Queensbridge Connected, Community-Wide Wi-Fi network model, implemented at Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City, NY, received the Digital Inclusion Award this Tuesday at the Broadband Communities Summit. In attendance at the Broadband Summit were Joshua Breitbart, Senior Advisor for Broadband at Office of the Mayor New York City, Alfonso Jenkins, Deputy Commissioner for Telecommunications Planning at New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications and Dick Sherwin, President and CEO of Spot On Networks. Breitbart and Jenkins accepted the award which was awarded by Next Century Cities in partnership with Google Fiber.
The Queensbridge Connected model is the first collaboration between the City of New York’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT) and the City’s public housing authority (NYCHA). Queensbridge Connected is a part of the OneNYC Broadband Initiative’s promise to invest “in networks providing high-speed residential access either free or at low-cost for low-income communities”.
Spot On Networks was awarded the Queensbridge Houses contract by the City of New York to design, build, implement and support the Queensbridge Connected community-wide Wi-Fi network in 2016. The Network provides free high speed Wi-Fi internet and Wi-Fi calling access with speeds up to 25 Mbps and seamless connectivity throughout the community. Furthering the mission to “Bridge the Digital Divide”, Spot On has hired and trained residents within Queensbridge Houses to assist in building, supporting and promoting the Queensbridge Connected network. The model of employing residents to make Queensbridge Connected a reality has proven essential to the success of the project.
“We are proud to have been chosen as the Wi-Fi service provider for Queensbridge Houses”, stated Dick Sherwin, President & CEO of Spot On Networks, “and we stand firmly with New York City on the importance of ‘Broadband for All’ and ‘Bridging the Digital Divide’. The City of New York is clearly the leader on community-wide Digital Inclusion. We at Spot On Networks believe that the Queensbridge Connected Wi-Fi network is the ideal model for future community-wide broadband networks in the affordable housing sector.”
About the Digital Inclusion Leadership Award
The Digital Inclusion Leadership Awards program is given by Next Century Cities in partnership with Google Fiber. According to a press release on the Next Century Cities website, “These awards celebrate city and county governments that are leading programs or empowering community-based organizations to tackle barriers to Internet adoption. The awards are an opportunity to celebrate the cities that are leading community changing programs and encourage public leaders to get involved in digital inclusion by sharing best practices”.
About Spot On Networks
Spot On Networks (“SON”) is a wireless internet service provider and wireless consulting company representing tens of thousands of residential and commercial tenants, nationwide. SON designs, deploys and manages carrier grade Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Calling and CellBoost® networks to multifamily, senior living, hospitality, retail and commercial buildings. Spot On’s wireless networks are backed by patented network architecture and UserSafe® technology.
SON is the leading provider of managed Wi-Fi networks and in-building voice solutions to the U.S. multitenant housing market and is a trusted leader in wireless since 2004. SON develops wireless solutions to solve the most pressing problems facing today’s building owners.