Fort Worth, Texas, Partners With Cisco to Expand Wi-Fi Connectivity

Fort Worth, Texas, is partnering with Cisco Systems to offer free Wi-Fi within five of the city's underserved neighborhoods, potentially providing Internet access to as many as 40,000 residents this fall. The outbreak of COVID-19 exposed connectivity challenges in Fort Worth, illustrating the importance of residents having access to a reliable Internet connection at home to participate in education, healthcare and employment opportunities. The idea is that the five neighborhoods — Ash Crescent, Como, Northside, Rosemont and Stop Six — will receive free Wi-Fi under an expanded city network called CFW Neighborhood, which is already active at libraries and community centers in Fort Worth, an approach new research has found value in. This new public-private partnership will basically extend the existing network much further, making it cover the homes in the five neighborhoods, too, which are home to roughly 40,000 residents. To achieve this, the city is using radio technology to amplify the existing fiber-optic infrastructure. The city decided to expand wireless internet connectivity because of how quick the process is to expand Wi-Fi networks compared to traditional fiber infrastructure deployment.