en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 19, 2026, the City of Cleveland has connected tens of thousands of households to the internet through a performance contract, a rapidly expanding nonprofit provider, and wireless technology designed for tree-covered environments. The city's broadband service had long been considered inadequate.
This model emerged from a Juneteenth webinar hosted by Broadband Breakfast. The combination includes the City of Cleveland, nonprofit provider DigitalC, and next-generation fixed wireless (ngFWA) equipment from Tarana Wireless.
A notable feature of this arrangement is accountability, based on performance-based responsibility. Cleveland City Councilman Brian Kazy, who chairs the city's Utilities Committee, insisted on a performance contract before signing off on $20 million in spending from the American Rescue Plan Act to ensure the city's interests. He stated that DigitalC demonstrates to residents that funds are being used correctly, while the contract also holds DigitalC accountable. The city council requires quarterly audits to monitor the provider's progress. Kazy noted that this model has been replicated in other cities.
DigitalC CEO Joshua Edmonds endorsed this approach, arguing that not shying away from transparency and embracing accountability helps achieve growth and expansion. The nonprofit built a network covering 59 towers across the city in 17.5 months. Since January 2024, over 10,000 households have subscribed, with an expected 7,100 new users this year, up from 4,500 last year. Additionally, DigitalC has trained over 30,000 people in digital skills and is expanding into Detroit. The organization maintains a rating above 4.7 stars across more than 230 customer reviews.
Edmonds stated that because DigitalC does not pursue shareholder returns, public, private, and philanthropic capital can cover network costs. Despite competition from Verizon, T-Mobile, and Starlink, he considers this the best broadband collaboration effort seen to date. The flagship product offers symmetrical broadband speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) x 100 Mbps for just $18 per month.
Edmonds emphasized that Tarana Wireless was the only choice to achieve the goal. The nonprofit is also able to hire local technicians without telecommunications backgrounds as installers. Carl Guardino, Vice President of Government Affairs and Policy at Tarana Wireless, stated that DigitalC represents a complete combination of four key elements: affordability, reliability, two-way high speed, and low latency. He also noted the synergy among the nonprofit, the City of Cleveland, state and federal governments, and the technology provider. Tarana Wireless radio equipment communicates with home receivers thousands of times per second, routing signals around trees, rain, and snow. Fixed wireless deployment costs are one-tenth to one-twentieth of fiber, and deployment is faster. The technology has reached 28 countries, 48 states, and 40% of U.S. counties, with over 350 ISP partners.
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