Burlington Partners With US Ignite to Be Next Gig City

Gigabit cities are sprouting up across the nation, and Burlington (VT) is the next to join the list.

The coastal city that lies 45 miles south of the US-Canadian border launched a partnership with nonprofit US Ignite earlier this month called BTV Ignite to develop gigabit connectivity infrastructure and next-generation applications within the city. According to US Ignite, Burlington is the 26th city to join the nonprofit’s network of high-tech cities. The idea behind the partnerships is to help cities strengthen technology efforts related to education, workforce, energy, health care, public safety, transportation and advanced manufacturing. Over the next five years, US Ignite plans to create a network of 60 next-generation applications and 200 “community test beds” where the apps can be researched and developed and later deployed. According to US Ignite, the nonprofit works with a series of corporate sponsors to support the city partnerships.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said he hopes the partnership will help grow the city’s workforce, increase the number of startups located in the city, and create better access to gigabit connectivity for institutions and individuals.