US Ignite: A New Foundation for America's Broadband Future

The Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation are planning an initiative called US Ignite designed to promote US leadership in applications and services for ultra-fast broadband networks. Building on existing high-speed fiber optic and wireless networks, US Ignite will foster the development of novel applications that have the potential to transform health, education and training, public safety, and transportation.

US Ignite will:

• Knit together cities and towns across the country with access to high-speed networks, creating a critical mass of individuals and organizations that can develop and experiment with next-generation applications that can’t run on today’s public Internet.
• Build on the NSF-supported GENI network, which enables researchers to experiment with new technologies for distributing content, improving security, accessing remote computers, and enabling real-time collaboration. Unlike the public Internet, GENI is “programmable,” which makes it much easier to introduce new services and applications.
• Foster the development of the “killer apps” that will drive demand for next-generation networks in the same way that e-mail, search engines, and the Web drove demand for today’s Internet.