A tech company on Thursday launched a new initiative aimed at providing internet connectivity for residents and businesses in South Los Angeles.
Representatives of Cisco -- a multinational digital communications technology conglomerate headquartered in San Jose -- joined city officials and local organizations to highlight the initiative, called the Crenshaw Community Connectivity Pilot. The program is expected to benefit South L.A. residents, but also future visitors to the area ahead of major events and celebrations in the city.
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"Every Angelenos deserves access to reliable, high-speed internet -- no matter their ZIP code," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.
"This initiative in the Crenshaw Corridor shows what's possible when the public, private and nonprofit sectors come together with the community to bridge the digital divide. As Los Angeles prepares to welcome the world in the years ahead, investments like this will ensure opportunity and connectivity reaches every neighborhood across the city," she added.
Cisco partnered with Los Angeles, the Bureau of Street Lighting, as well as the California Community Foundation, Destination Crenshaw and Digital Equity LA for the initiative. City workers installed 1 1/2 miles of underground fiber optic cable stretching from Leimert Park Plaza to Hyde Park Metro Station.
According to the company, they built the network on top of existing city-owned street lighting assets and deployed cloud-managed Cisco outdoor access points, and so-called "Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul," enabling free Wi-Fi.
The initiative benefits residents, businesses and visitors in Crenshaw, Hyde Parke, Park Mesa and Leimert Park neighborhoods.
"Access to secure, reliable internet is essential to full participation in democracy," Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said in a statement. "The Crenshaw Community Connectivity Pilot is more than infrastructure; it is digital justice."
The councilman said the program should be seen as a blueprint for other cities to replicate.
"Cisco's purpose is to power an inclusive future for all, and expanding internet access directly translates to educational and economic opportunity," Gary DePreta, Cisco's senior vice president for U.S. Public Sector said in a statement. "This initiative not only helps bridge the digital divide but sets L.A. up with the connectivity platform needed for future public sector innovation."
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