The city of Albuquerque is looking into bringing fiber-based municipal broadband to the city. Albuquerque is partnering with the New Mexico Technology Council to establish a focus committee to discuss the subject. The announcement comes after the city was named a US Ignite partner, joining a group of Smart Gigabit Communities nationwide. Smart Gigabit Communities are selected by US Ignite, a non-profit organization launched in 2012 with inspiration from White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation to assist American communities take advantage of next-generation networks.
The focus committee, which is to consist of selected community leaders and stakeholders from business, government, technology, and community organizations is intended to facilitate discussion, gather information, and exchange ideas regarding current and future broadband needs and accessibility.
The committee is intended to review the technology landscape, develop regional partnerships, establish local teams, and conduct a community assessment. The gathered information from the focus group meetings will be used to help create the official technology action plan for the city.
The US Ignite partnership is intended to augment existing collaborations with the city and the University of New Mexico dedicated to bringing gigabit applications and services to the community.