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Narrowing the Eastside Digital Divide

We need to be connected. Electricity, running water, air conditioning, heat and waste disposal are basic utilities our citizens need to live. So is internet access. See how we’re working to fill this need for our Eastside neighbors.

The Historic Eastside, affectionately known as Out East, stretches approximately 30 blocks north of the downtown sports district and includes the Fairfield, Oakland, Campbells’ Addition and Phoenix neighborhoods.

This area is home to much of Jacksonville’s African American cultural heritage, noteworthy sites and national leaders. Generations of families have called Eastside home, created businesses and still live and work in the community.

As development spread across the region, the Eastside experienced some struggles, but is on the rise again through the hard work of community leaders, citizens, non-profits, area stakeholders and partner agencies. Learn more about the Eastside at the Historic Eastside CDC and Lift Jax.

One of the critical needs for this community is to be connected - for education, employment, healthcare, shopping, and access to resources and information. The Eastside Broadband Projects seek to address those needs through a unique wireless broadband system that will enable internet access through smart phones, tablets, laptops and desktops throughout the community.

How the Technology Will Work

The approach to providing broadband to this nearly two-square mile underserved neighborhood will be to deploy a hybrid network using a CBRS OnGo™ private LTE consumer access layer aggregated by a mmWave backhaul layer. The multi-gigabit backhaul links will connect the OnGo™ small cells to accessible dark fiber endpoints located at partner agency facilities. The dark fiber will then be patched into a colocation rack at the JAX NAP inter­net exchange in downtown Jacksonville. This facility will serve as the host for the core management platform needed to manage the network nodes and subscriber services. This host site will also provide Internet access without purchasing bandwidth from a common carrier provider (Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, etc).

The private LTE network will enable residents to experience broadband access wherever they are in the neighborhood including places of worship, community centers, schools, businesses, parks and bus stops. Qualified residents will be issued an OnGo™ USB modem or hotspot to connect existing computers and devices to the LTE network. However, any existing cellular devices with Band 48 and dual-SIM capabilities can also be connected to the CBRS network by requesting a SIM or eSIM from the program administration team.

Partners

  • Historic Eastside CDC
  • Lift Jax
  • JEA
  • Miller Electric
  • Duval County Public Schools
  • City of Jacksonville
  • Jacksonville Transportation Authority
  • North Florida TPO
  • Synergy Technologies
  • Kimley-Horn
  • Urban SDK
  • LISC Jacksonville

980 N. Jefferson St. | Jacksonville, FL 32209
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