DigitalC helps Cleveland try to bridge its digital divide

Non-profit wireless internet service provider DigitalC is using Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) and leveraging federal funds and private donations to subsidize broadband service and infrastructure deployment to last-mile homes in Cleveland (OH). Nokia is providing a private wireless network for fixed wireless access, a model the vendor says could be a blueprint for other communities working to bridge the digital divide. The network will access CBRS spectrum using General Authorized Access at the outset, so there is no cost associated with spectrum access, but DigitalC could be preempted by a license holder at some point. The deployment includes an LTE network core, radio units, and indoor and outdoor customer premise equipment which DigitalC employees and end-users are installing. DigitalC is targeting full coverage of Cleveland over the next five years, with an additional goal of connecting up to 40,000 of Cleveland’s 50,000 unconnected households by 2024. The project is a 5-year public-private partnership with a $70 million budget; DigitalC has raised just over $20 million from private donors and expects to rely on public sector funds for the remaining $50 million. The provider offers internet access for $18 per month at 50 Mbps downstream, which some can get paid for by private company subsidies in Cleveland or the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Broadband Benefit program.