District of Columbia Government

DC Community Access Network

The District of Columbia’s Community Access Network (DC-CAN) project plans to deploy a high-speed middle mile broadband infrastructure to provide direct Internet connections for community anchor institutions located predominantly in the city's economically distressed areas. Specifically, the project plans to serve approximately 190 anchor institutions, including four community colleges, 58 public safety entities, 38 schools, 23 libraries, and 64 health care facilities largely in Wards 5, 7, and 8, including the communities of Eckington, Kenilworth and Anacostia, which have unemployment rates substantially higher than the national average. DC-CAN proposes to upgrade and augment the District of Columbia’s existing 293-mile fiber network with over 170 new fiber miles and to provide anchor institutions and last mile broadband providers with speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

Total Award: 
$17457764
BTOP In Action

The District of Columbia connected 260 community anchor institutions to its network as part of the DC Community Access Network (DC-CAN) project. The 195-mile high-speed middle mile network serves the city’s economically distressed areas, including approximately 55 schools, 20 libraries, 70 healthcare facilities, and 60 public safety sites.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Fire and Emergency Management Services (FEMS) are one core group that used the increased speed to improve communications and access to bandwidth-intensive applications. “As Internet use moves toward video and other data-intensive applications, this network is well-positioned to support such next-generation apps without the need for further infrastructure upgrades for at least a decade,” said DC Chief Technology Officer Rob Mancini. “By expanding to an established 100 Gbps platform, the District has invested in an efficient and economically viable solution based on proven technology.”

Reports and Documents
Award Documents