Politics & Government

SM Gets Big Award for Broadband Network

Santa Monica City Net earns a Government IT Innovator Award.

Most Santa Monicans may not know it, but the city's 10 gigabit fiber optic network is one of the main reasons new technology and media firms pick Santa Monica as their home base. Now, the network is getting some of its due recognition, thanks to a high-profile honor.

The leading-edge broadband initiative, Santa Monica City Net, earned a Government IT Innovator Award at the 2011 InformationWeek 500 Conference. The three-day event was held earlier this week in Dana Point, Calif.

InformationWeek’s Government IT Innovators contest honors local, state and federal agencies for using information technology in innovative ways. At the conference, Santa Monica was the only city to be recognized for a major infrastructure project of this kind.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Technology-driven innovation is happening in surprising places in government," InformationWeek Government Editor John Foley said in a statement. "Agencies are applying cloud computing, mobile applications, electronic documents, and other technologies to provide new and better public services. We've identified these government agencies as being great examples of how that's happening."

In addition to providing speeds of 10 gigabits per second, City Net was also noted for reaching a 67 percent cost reduction, and for supporting tech companies with a superior broadband infrastructure. In Santa Monica, local businesses can lease dark fiber from the city. Also, businesses can use lit fiber, at affordable rates, at speeds of 100Mbps, 1Gbps and 10Gbps.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Thanks to Santa Monica City Net, constructing new broadband service costs less than it normally would. Also, the broadband model boosts the purchasing power of local businesses that are connected through it. Furthermore, the network allows Internet service providers to expand the broadband market, offering wider service to commercial buildings.

In May, Santa Monica received a related honor when the Public Technology Institute granted the city, among other awards, a Significant Achievement Award for its advanced broadband initiative. More specifically, the city was recognized for its telecommunications master plan and the fiber-optic network that connects 59 city buildings.

Also this year, the Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School recognized Santa Monica as having one of the Top 25 Innovations in Government.


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