Rio Grande City, Texas Wi-Fi for EDC Workshop

Empowerment & Enablement through Public Wi-Fi Networks

Who are you and what are you doing here?

This is what we do.

This is what we do.

This is what we do.

This is what we do.

This is what we do.

Who am I?

Drew Lentz

– Father of 4

– Valley Native

– Hunting, Fishing, etc

– Long walks on the beach..

HUGE NERD.

What I do..

Why am I here?

1. Provide infrastructure for City departments

2. Economic Development of downtown area

3. Enable your community

empowera. To equip with or supply with an ability.

Empowering City Departments• Sets a foundation for:

– Video surveillance– Traffic sensors– Parking meters– Digital Signage– Departmental connectivity

• Streamline City business• Cut costs for City connectivity

Empowering Economic Development

• Removes entry barrier for local businesses

• Promotes use of technology

• Saves businesses time and money

– Decentralized POS, VoIP phones, cloud computing

• Provides an on-ramp to the World for local businesses

Empowering the Community

• Focuses the community on downtown area

• Encourages interaction with local business

• Provides a digital habitat for students & adults

• Helps the City help the students

enable

enablea. To supply with the means, knowledge, or opportunity.

b. To make feasible or possible.

To supply with the opportunity to..• Texas broadband subscribers report that finding healthcare information online saved

them an average of 2.4 trips to the doctor, and 2.4 trips to the emergency room in the past year.

• Texas broadband subscribers report that they drive an average of 165.6 fewer miles per month as a result of subscribing to home broadband service.

• Texas broadband subscribers are able to do things faster with broadband, resulting in an estimated 15 hours per month that can be spent with family, developing a small business, or helping in their communities.

The combined savings of broadband adoption on the Texas economy is $40.9 billion. An additional $700 million is saved for every 1% increase of broadband

adoption across the state.

Enable the community for..

• Jobs!

Job Creation

• Broadband creates 2.6 new jobs for every one job lost.

A 7% increase in broadband penetration could create an additional 2.4 million new jobs.

Enable the community for..

• Jobs!

• Better access to education!

Enable the community for..

• Jobs!

• Better access to education!

• Driving Economic Growth!

Economic Growth

• Over the past 15 years, the Internet has enabled as much economic growth as the Industrial Revolution generated in its first 50 years.

• Providing businesses with connectivity spurs their ability to compete globally.

• Social Media as an economic growth engine

How do we do it…

If you build it, they will come..

• Identify locations that you want to offer access in.

If you build it, they will come..

• Identify locations that you want to offer access in.

• Determine where to place equipment.

If you build it, they will come..

• Identify locations that you want to offer access in.

• Determine where to place equipment.

• Simulate what the coverage will look like

If you build it, they will come..

• Identify locations that you want to offer access in.

• Determine where to place equipment.

• Simulate what the coverage will look like

• Install and configure equipment

Sounds great!

What does it cost?

Cost• Wi-Fi connectivity

– Initial Phase: $41,464.20

• Network Infrastructure– Varies depending on configuration– $25,000 in distribution infrastructure– $15,000 in network infrastructure– $0 in administration

Grants

• USDA DLT

– Distance Learning and Technology Grant

– http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_dlt.html

• USDA Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP)

– http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UTP_BIPResources.html

• Connected Texas – http://www.connectedtx.org

Thank You!

Drew Lentz – d.lentz@winncom.com

Darel Parker – parker@gofrontera.com