Joint Venture Silicon Valley
- Members
Joint Venture builds the framework for regional thought, analysis and action by assembling Silicon Valley’s leaders in business, government, academia, labor and the nonprofit sector to assess our challenges, reach consensus on the best strategies for response and work on solutions together. That’s the Joint Venture way.
Activities
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Connecting Rural School Children for Distance Learning | |
| As the SARS-COV-2 virus spreads, and communities work to minimize COVID-19 cases, schools are closing and we expect all school physical facilities will remain closed for some period of time during this emergency. This will affect more than 76 million students across the US. | ||
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East Palo Alto Neighborhood Innovation Zone | |
Objectives
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IoT Device Security for Smart Cities | |
Objectives
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Open Wi-Fi Maps and Lists (by US state) | |
| States are compiling lists of open Wi-Fi access points for residents who do not have home broadband access. While accessing these sites may be in violation of social distancing and shelter-in-place directives, some people may choose to use this option.
Open Wi-Fi SSIDs are potentially a security risk to users. Use of VPNs and secure website is highly recommended. | ||
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Santa Clara County Office of Education CBRS Networks | |
| Santa Clara County Office of Education and Joint Venture Silicon Valley are cooperating with industry leaders to deploy CBRS broadband networks for addressing distance learning and homework gap challenges. | ||
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Wireless Networks for Rural Distance Learning Telemedicine and Digital Inclusion | |
| Most U.S. states have ordered residents to shelter-in-place in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This presents significant challenges for residents in areas with poor or no broadband service, preventing them from using the internet to access distance learning resources, contact health care providers while remaining sheltered, accessing online shopping, and other online activities that most people take for granted.
Residents need three things to overcome digital inclusion gaps: a suitable computing device, high-speed internet, and digital literacy. People with Access & Functional Needs (AFNs) cannot easily overcome the digital inclusion challenge without assistance from local governments, telecommunication providers, and corporate partners. Some AFN communities are attempting to creatively solve the connectivity challenge by retrofitting school buses and “Bookmobiles” with Wi-Fi equipment and then parking them in neighborhoods with AFN residents. In some cases, schools and public libraries are petitioning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to waive some E-rate rules so they can open up their networks to the surrounding community. There are some significant downsides to this approach:
An alternative that can provide broadband service to AFN residents in areas that are unserved or underserved by existing telecommunication networks is to enhance the 4G LTE infrastructure to provide additional coverage – specifically indoor coverage – to a broader range of locations, by building temporary wireless sites near the areas of need. Once the sites are in place, government or community groups can provide AFN residents with a hotspot, or an inexpensive smartphone to be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot. There are various configurations possible to provide broadband service to the largest number of AFN residents while keeping costs low, utilizing available equipment, and operating within legal and regulatory constraints:
This concept paper Wireless Networks for Distance Learning details each of these configurations, examines the pros and cons of each method, and explores funding options. | ||
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A Blueprint for Public Wi-Fi Networks | |
| The goals of the Global City Teams Challenge program are to bring together thought leaders and experts on a wide variety of topics relating to modern “Smart City” technologies and to have them share their knowledge and create best practices to assist those who are coming after them. The authors and contributors of this blueprint have designed, built, and managed Public Wi-Fi systems all over the United States and it is this spirit of collaboration and knowledge sharing that drives this effort forward. | ||
Details
Joint Venture was born in that environment, as an experiment in regional thought and action on issues that do not respect city limits, county borders or state lines: economic development, infrastructure, transportation, communications, education, health care, disaster planning, climate change and more.
Early skeptics doubted the notion that otherwise provincial and disparate interests could convene for a common purpose. Some still do, but the greater goal has largely prevailed. Competitive regions were largely domestic at first, but today span oceans to encompass Shanghai, Beijing, India, Ireland, Eastern Europe, South Asia and beyond.
You and your organization can join with hundreds of leaders working in teams on our current initiatives in such areas as climate prosperity, economic development, and wireless communications. Please take time to visit our initiative pages and contact us to become involved in our work.