Economic Development Administration Awards San Leandro $2.1 Million To Expand Broadband Network

Sept. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- Nearly 1,000 Additional Businesses Will Now Have Access To Lit San Leandro

San Leandro Mayor Stephen Cassidy announced today that the City of San Leandro has received notification of a $2.1 million grant from the United States Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the expansion of San Leandro’s fiber optic network, known as Lit San Leandro.  The network became operational earlier this year, offering connection speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. This is 2,000 times faster than the average U.S. connection.  The grant, funded through the EDA’s Public Works Economic Development Assistance program, will facilitate the construction of 7.5 miles of new conduit, bringing the Lit San Leandro network to a total of over 18 miles.  

“No city in the nation has a network faster than Lit San Leandro.  The EDA grant will enable us to bring Lit San Leandro to hundreds of additional companies engaged in advanced manufacturing, medical research, green energy and sustainable resources, food processing, and digital video, print, and media services,” stated Mayor Stephen Cassidy. “With virtually unlimited speed and bandwidth in the center of the San Francisco Bay Area, San Leandro companies are poised to become industry leaders and strengthen America's ability to compete in the global marketplace.  We are grateful that the EDA is assisting San Leandro in leveraging the private and public capital invested in Lit San Leandro to significantly expand the network.”

Lit San Leandro is the result of a unique public-private partnership combining the City of San Leandro's conduit infrastructure and private investment to install the fiber. Businesses connecting to Lit San Leandro can take advantage of speeds up to 10 gigabits per second, making San Leandro the optimal location for businesses seeking the country’s fastest Internet connections. In addition to attracting business, the project is benefitting residents through initiatives such as the recent connection to the City’s Main Library – now the fastest library in the State of California.  

Lit San Leandro is the brainchild of Dr. J. Patrick Kennedy, CEO of San Leandro-based OSIsoft, who is privately funding the installation of the fiber in existing underground conduit owned by the City. Once the conduit expansion project is completed, Dr. Kennedy will run fiber through all new segments, a process that can be completed within a matter of weeks.

The system expansions that will be funded by the EDA grant are:

•   Northwest on Doolittle Drive, from Davis Street to the Oakland border and around the Adams industrial area. This expansion will provide service to under-served industrial areas of San Leandro and facilitate potential regional connections to the City and Port of Oakland.
•   West on Marina Boulevard to the shoreline, and through the Catalina industrial area. These segments will provide connectivity to San Leandro’s shoreline, enhancing the City’s ability to attract premium, high-tech tenants for the future office development at this location.
•   Through the Alvarado/Teagarden industrial area.  This expansion will make the Lit San Leandro network accessible to over a hundred businesses that presently suffer from a lack of adequate broadband options.

Currently over 950 existing businesses are located within 200 meters of the proposed expansion segments. Those businesses employ over 8,300 people and many will become more viable and productive as a result of the project. Vacant and underutilized properties will become vastly more attractive once they are accessible to the Lit San Leandro fiber system. A primary goal of Lit San Leandro is to re-positioning the City’s industrial areas for the 21st Century economy. The expansion segments were identified with the goal of providing service to as many businesses as possible.

Work on the expansion project is expected to take about a year and will commence as soon as all applicable EDA funding agreements have been executed.  Upon completion of the expansion project, the majority of San Leandro’s commercial and industrial properties will be within reasonable proximity of the fiber network.

About Dynamic San Leandro

San Leandro is the sound of opportunity knocking.  Having one of the most diverse populations in California, the city of nearly 85,000 residents is poised for growth with the fastest broadband in the nation thanks to the Lit San Leandro. With access to two international airports, BART, two highways, the Port of Oakland, Silicon Valley, the highly-skilled Bay Area workforce, and a business-friendly approach by City staff, San Leandro is an ideal location for both established tech businesses and start ups to be more productive and successful. San Leandro features miles of shoreline and award-winning restaurants and coffee shops. The city is ready and able to meet the needs of the businesses today and in the future.  Learn more by watching the San Leandro “Get Connected!” video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SnQI7cQ0UY.



For more information about doing business in San Leandro contact Jeff Kay, Business Development Analyst at (510) 577-3319 or jkay@sanleandro.org.

For more information on Lit San Leandro visit: http://www.litsanleandro.com.

For more information on San Leandro programs and services visit: www.sanleandro.org.

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