Introduction and Background
Internet and access to it, has become a staple in mainstream business, technology, social interaction and motion. “Establishing equality in Internet access is necessary to ensure that less well-to-do or technologically sophisticated citizens are not excluded from the political, economic, or social opportunities that the Internet increasingly provides” (DiMaggio et al. 2001). Ostensibly, the Electric Power Board (EPB) of Chattanooga, the city’s publicly owned telecommunications company and electric power distributor, aims to provide this access through their commitment to “the Gig”, the goal of widespread available fiber optic internet connection. “For many Chattanoogans, the Gig is viewed as a 21st-century resource of sorts” (Glenn 2016). A group known as the Gig City Initiative certainly has progressed this goal, but it is not as widespread as their utopian goal would have an observer believe, and has put some of these “less well-to-do” people in danger of being left behind in a city with its eyes on the future.
Internet and access to it, has become a staple in mainstream business, technology, social interaction and motion. “Establishing equality in Internet access is necessary to ensure that less well-to-do or technologically sophisticated citizens are not excluded from the political, economic, or social opportunities that the Internet increasingly provides” (DiMaggio et al. 2001). Ostensibly, the Electric Power Board (EPB) of Chattanooga, the city’s publicly owned telecommunications company and electric power distributor, aims to provide this access through their commitment to “the Gig”, the goal of widespread available fiber optic internet connection. “For many Chattanoogans, the Gig is viewed as a 21st-century resource of sorts” (Glenn 2016). A group known as the Gig City Initiative certainly has progressed this goal, but it is not as widespread as their utopian goal would have an observer believe, and has put some of these “less well-to-do” people in danger of being left behind in a city with its eyes on the future.
NoogaNet, the purported free public wifi in Chattanooga, was the initial and main focus of this project. It is presented as widespread and accessible internet access, just one of the many services that the EPB provides in addition to the 7,155 commercial and 84,256 residential customers that already purchase fiber optic services from them (EPB 2017). This service aims at making internet easily accessible for residents outside of their homes or workplaces, especially when in Chattanooga proper and enjoying the many facilities and recreational spaces it offers. However, for many, “Gig City” may not be all it is claiming to be.
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The Innovation District, one of the newest projects in Chattanooga, has certainly seen success and progress through the trailblazing of the EPB and the dream of “Gig City”. A recently revealed “Framework Plan” for Chattanooga’s Innovation District explores the continued integration and expansion of “technology, art, recreation, commerce [and] civic engagement” as it relates to the developmental future of downtown Chattanooga (Enterprise Center 2018). Chattanooga’s primary innovation asset, the EPB, with its 600 square-mile smart-grid and gigabit internet service, acts as a connectivity framework for developing downtown businesses and creativity collectives, fostering development that makes Chattanooga more competitive in the expanding innovation economy.
The original goal of this project was to assess the availability and signal strength of public WiFi for the Chattanooga area, and find how public internet availability could impact the well-being of the Chattanooga, its residents and burgeoning businesses. Misconceptions regarding WiFi availability for the area led to a shift in focus from our original study direction, but yielded new perspectives regarding the relationship between web-based infrastructure and targeted technological development. Ultimately, our group was able to research the basis for Chattanooga’s recent technology based initiatives, assess availability of WiFi access for a number of central tracts in the downtown area, and experience first hand some of the unique features of a burgeoning Innovation District that separates Chattanooga from similar cities in regards to technological expansion, cultural and entrepreneurial integration, commerce and innovation. (Lobo 2015)
The original goal of this project was to assess the availability and signal strength of public WiFi for the Chattanooga area, and find how public internet availability could impact the well-being of the Chattanooga, its residents and burgeoning businesses. Misconceptions regarding WiFi availability for the area led to a shift in focus from our original study direction, but yielded new perspectives regarding the relationship between web-based infrastructure and targeted technological development. Ultimately, our group was able to research the basis for Chattanooga’s recent technology based initiatives, assess availability of WiFi access for a number of central tracts in the downtown area, and experience first hand some of the unique features of a burgeoning Innovation District that separates Chattanooga from similar cities in regards to technological expansion, cultural and entrepreneurial integration, commerce and innovation. (Lobo 2015)
Preliminary Research
In order to establish context for this project, preliminary research was gathered and assessed courtesy of a number of sources. Our group was intrigued regarding the subject of supposed “free public WiFi” that we heard second-hand was allegedly provided for all residents of the city. Concrete evidence of what the City of Chattanooga had completed in terms of public internet access initiatives was scant, and our preliminary research provided information regarding the EPB as well as its role in creating a high speed web framework for Chattanooga, plenty of information regarding the “Gig City” initiative, and contrasting opinions of the effectiveness of Chattanooga’s efforts to re-establish themselves as a regionally dominant industry hub. Information specific to the EPB was available via the EPB’s annual report and financial report, which note customer base size, coverage area, initiatives for development, as well as investment and revenue figures.
Innovation District information specific to Chattanooga was sourced from the National League of Cities (NLC) Innovation Districts Report, which is a case study regarding the development of Chattanooga, as well as the Innovation District of Chattanooga Framework Plan for 2018. Central to the theme of the NLC piece was the shift in business strategy as it relates to collaboration and future development, where businesses within Innovation Districts have transitioned from closed walls and intra-development to free movement of ideas, as well as strategies of “clustering talent [among] startups, established firms, nonprofits, cultural assets and more [...] incubating creativity.” (Glenn 2016) This collaborative advancement of interconnected firms is helping Chattanooga to develop an expansive and encompassing technology cooperative, stemming from the EPB’s available web network which is among the fastest and most complex in the nation. Once a hub for industrial development and rail infrastructure, Chattanooga has recently re-invested themselves in a massive way regarding technology infrastructure and collaborative development, doubling down on digital innovation as a root for continued expansion of the cities core economy.
The Innovation District of Chattanooga Framework Plan expands upon the technological core economy of the city by contextualizing the current state of “Chattanooga’s unique integration of its advanced digital assets with a dynamic culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.” (Enterprise Center 2018) Additionally, this piece explains the processes, values, overall urban context, planning stages, and implementation strategies regarding the in development Innovation District for Chattanooga. Planning of an effective, inclusive and realistically attainable downtown district was completed via combined input of city officials, members of the public, business owners and firm representatives involved in the project, with the goal of achieving a general consensus regarding development that most positively impacted not only the city, but also its residents and businesses.
In order to establish context for this project, preliminary research was gathered and assessed courtesy of a number of sources. Our group was intrigued regarding the subject of supposed “free public WiFi” that we heard second-hand was allegedly provided for all residents of the city. Concrete evidence of what the City of Chattanooga had completed in terms of public internet access initiatives was scant, and our preliminary research provided information regarding the EPB as well as its role in creating a high speed web framework for Chattanooga, plenty of information regarding the “Gig City” initiative, and contrasting opinions of the effectiveness of Chattanooga’s efforts to re-establish themselves as a regionally dominant industry hub. Information specific to the EPB was available via the EPB’s annual report and financial report, which note customer base size, coverage area, initiatives for development, as well as investment and revenue figures.
Innovation District information specific to Chattanooga was sourced from the National League of Cities (NLC) Innovation Districts Report, which is a case study regarding the development of Chattanooga, as well as the Innovation District of Chattanooga Framework Plan for 2018. Central to the theme of the NLC piece was the shift in business strategy as it relates to collaboration and future development, where businesses within Innovation Districts have transitioned from closed walls and intra-development to free movement of ideas, as well as strategies of “clustering talent [among] startups, established firms, nonprofits, cultural assets and more [...] incubating creativity.” (Glenn 2016) This collaborative advancement of interconnected firms is helping Chattanooga to develop an expansive and encompassing technology cooperative, stemming from the EPB’s available web network which is among the fastest and most complex in the nation. Once a hub for industrial development and rail infrastructure, Chattanooga has recently re-invested themselves in a massive way regarding technology infrastructure and collaborative development, doubling down on digital innovation as a root for continued expansion of the cities core economy.
The Innovation District of Chattanooga Framework Plan expands upon the technological core economy of the city by contextualizing the current state of “Chattanooga’s unique integration of its advanced digital assets with a dynamic culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.” (Enterprise Center 2018) Additionally, this piece explains the processes, values, overall urban context, planning stages, and implementation strategies regarding the in development Innovation District for Chattanooga. Planning of an effective, inclusive and realistically attainable downtown district was completed via combined input of city officials, members of the public, business owners and firm representatives involved in the project, with the goal of achieving a general consensus regarding development that most positively impacted not only the city, but also its residents and businesses.
Qualities desired in establishing the Innovation District for Chattanooga are as follows: a sense of Diversity and Inclusion in both development and community establishment, a focus on Culture and artistic creativity, quality Educational Opportunities that enhance not only the district itself, but the greater Chattanooga region, an obvious focus on Innovation, inclusion and enrichment of Public Life, and the basis of the district as an Urban Lab from which developers can understand the implications of Innovation Districts in its development and proliferation. (Enterprise Center 2018)
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The last preliminary source that we utilized for creating a basis of understanding regarding the development of Chattanooga’s Innovation District was a provided study penned by Bento J. Lobo, a Ph.D professor and Department Head of Finance and Economics at UT Chattanooga. This piece examines the realized value of Chattanooga’s fiber infrastructure, giving insight into the cost and net value benefits of the cities investment in high-speed broadband, realized in four categories: utility effects, businesses, households and community wide. Quantifiable analysis was completed by leveraging projected earlier estimates by the author against actual realized values for a 4 year study period to understand the economic benefits for the aforementioned categories, with a general consensus of realized benefits outweighing projected benefits for the study period. (Lobo 2015)
Methods
The first step in finding where the free public WiFi was available was to download the cell phone app "Speedtest." This app allowed us to test the speed of the WiFi at any given location, and it also gave us other useful details regarding the network, location, etc. We used this app to record points around the city. We walked through the parks that were accessible by walking from downtown and recorded several points in each park. We also recorded points when we found signs on the street that advertised the free WiFi that the city offered at those specific locations, as seen in figure 4. Those points we created a map of where the free WiFi worked. The public parks' geospatial data was acquired from the Hamilton County website.
Other information regarding the EPB was acquired from their website, as well as from a personal interview with John Pless from public relations at the EPB headquarters in downtown Chattanooga. He gave us a detailed history of the company, how they got started to where they currently sit in relation to other electric/internet providers, and how many people they serve. He also discussed their future transition to incorporating solar energy into their company plans. Mr. Pless then pointed us to the Edney Innovation building just down the street from the EPB, because that was the pinnacle of the new Innovation District. At the Edney building we were given a tour from Alex, a well connected worker in the building. We visited many of the ten floors in the building, speaking to several people who had start-up companies who had rented space in the building. We were given information about initiatives the city had incorporated to help create the innovation district and attract new businesses to move to or start up in the area, yielding an insider perspective on the combined Innovation District initiatives that included funding or assistance from the EPB, as well as other corporate co-sponsors that have helped in the establishment of the Innovation District.
The first step in finding where the free public WiFi was available was to download the cell phone app "Speedtest." This app allowed us to test the speed of the WiFi at any given location, and it also gave us other useful details regarding the network, location, etc. We used this app to record points around the city. We walked through the parks that were accessible by walking from downtown and recorded several points in each park. We also recorded points when we found signs on the street that advertised the free WiFi that the city offered at those specific locations, as seen in figure 4. Those points we created a map of where the free WiFi worked. The public parks' geospatial data was acquired from the Hamilton County website.
Other information regarding the EPB was acquired from their website, as well as from a personal interview with John Pless from public relations at the EPB headquarters in downtown Chattanooga. He gave us a detailed history of the company, how they got started to where they currently sit in relation to other electric/internet providers, and how many people they serve. He also discussed their future transition to incorporating solar energy into their company plans. Mr. Pless then pointed us to the Edney Innovation building just down the street from the EPB, because that was the pinnacle of the new Innovation District. At the Edney building we were given a tour from Alex, a well connected worker in the building. We visited many of the ten floors in the building, speaking to several people who had start-up companies who had rented space in the building. We were given information about initiatives the city had incorporated to help create the innovation district and attract new businesses to move to or start up in the area, yielding an insider perspective on the combined Innovation District initiatives that included funding or assistance from the EPB, as well as other corporate co-sponsors that have helped in the establishment of the Innovation District.
Results
Figure 3 to the right displays the outline of the Innovation District in Chattanooga, where this study was focused. Within the bounds of this area, there are several prominent public recreational areas which are all popular among members of the community. It is the area where the Framework Plan is aimed at improving, with many already existing innovation economy generators and still some more potential innovation economy generators. The dots on the map are all locations where publicly available WiFi was accessed and tested for speed. The black dots are places where NoogaNet was accessible, and the red dots are other areas of public WiFi use, notably the Public Library and an EPB-sponsored hotspot in Miller Park that was separate from NoogaNet. The NoogaNet locations were tested because NoogaNet was widely available throughout almost all the large public spaces near the river. The other public WiFi connections were chosen and tested because the free WiFi was advertised at those specific locations and the connections were also easily available. It was found that the public Wi-Fi was rather underwhelming. While connection was established in numerous parts of downtown Chattanooga, the overall reliability and speed were poor. The data showed that while it is marketed as city-wide, the Wi-Fi is only relatively good in areas used for tourism. The north end of Chattanooga proper is aimed at a tourism industry with features like the Tennessee Aquarium, Ross’ Landing and numerous restaurants. In these areas, the access to Nooganet and the speed that was experienced was far superior to any other region of the city. The WiFi was limited to certain regions. |
Discussion
Public WiFi: NoogaNet or NoogaNot?
The advertised speed of EPB wireless connection is 10 GB speed. In theory, this should extend to their public WiFi service, NoogaNet. In practice, though doing numerous speed tests recorded in figure 3 above, the speed was shown to not be more than 10 Mbps upload and download speed. However, this is not necessarily proof that the EPB was falsifying their speeds. In an interview with Chattanooga Public Library technology head Rob W., he noted that the EPB could be keeping the data limit capped for a number of reasons. Specifically, Rob mentioned keeping speeds capped to allow better access for everyone. He gave this example: If one individual is using the WiFi to download a large file, then the people monitoring the connection can throttle that download before it ruins the experience for everyone else, and hopefully keep speeds constant for other users. He also pointed out the concern that free public WiFi with high speeds could be used for illegal purposes. While it is true that if someone were to use NoogaNet for illegal things that they could be digitally tracked, the harm would have already been done, and it would have happened very quickly with unrestricted access to up to 10 GB of speed. There is proof that WiFi speeds on the EPB network can exceed the 10 Mbps speed, and support much faster speeds. On the (publicly available) WiFi network at the downtown aquarium, WiFi speed exceeded 100 Mbps upload and download speed.
Public WiFi: NoogaNet or NoogaNot?
The advertised speed of EPB wireless connection is 10 GB speed. In theory, this should extend to their public WiFi service, NoogaNet. In practice, though doing numerous speed tests recorded in figure 3 above, the speed was shown to not be more than 10 Mbps upload and download speed. However, this is not necessarily proof that the EPB was falsifying their speeds. In an interview with Chattanooga Public Library technology head Rob W., he noted that the EPB could be keeping the data limit capped for a number of reasons. Specifically, Rob mentioned keeping speeds capped to allow better access for everyone. He gave this example: If one individual is using the WiFi to download a large file, then the people monitoring the connection can throttle that download before it ruins the experience for everyone else, and hopefully keep speeds constant for other users. He also pointed out the concern that free public WiFi with high speeds could be used for illegal purposes. While it is true that if someone were to use NoogaNet for illegal things that they could be digitally tracked, the harm would have already been done, and it would have happened very quickly with unrestricted access to up to 10 GB of speed. There is proof that WiFi speeds on the EPB network can exceed the 10 Mbps speed, and support much faster speeds. On the (publicly available) WiFi network at the downtown aquarium, WiFi speed exceeded 100 Mbps upload and download speed.
The presented availability of NoogaNet is where the reality of Chattanooga’s public WiFi did not match up to expectations. Approaching this project, NoogaNet was presented as a city-wide service, set up to serve a growing technological community in a city that is expanding into the future. Naturally, reliable internet connection is expected to play a key role in being a competitor in the information age. However, the results of searching for this connection fell short of expectations. NoogaNet, and really any accessible public WiFi service, is only available near public parks and other such recreational areas like the library. This area entirely misses major commercial areas of the downtown like Market and Walnut Streets, highlighted in the map above. While it is nice to have this access in recreational areas like the popular Renaissance Park, tourists and residents alike have no such access when they are out contributing to the economy and experiencing what more the city has to offer. In fact, almost the entire up-and-coming Innovation District of the city is not covered by NoogaNet, save for the aquarium, pockets of Miller Park, and the immediate surrounding area.
Ultimately, while the hype surrounding NoogaNet did not quite live up to expectations, it is still a valuable resource to the city of Chattanooga. The EPB is clearly very committed to excellence in striving for a more technologically connected future for the city, and NoogaNet creates a small piece of this progress. There is still room for growth in terms of the publicly available network, but the groundwork has been laid and public recreational areas are already benefiting. |
Innovation District
Chattanooga's focus on their Innovation District certainly seems a large part of the developmental future of the downtown area. While the production of promotional information via the Enterprise Center itself is going to lean towards positive and inspirational information and advertising for their plan, independent studies and community perception certainly paints the future of the Innovation District in a positive light. The Bento Lobo study, although dated in its 2015 publish date, looks at the 2011-2015 time frame with regards to realized value leveraged against predicted value, finding positive net benefits when accounting for infrastructure costs and total net economic and social benefits. The National League of Cities piece is penned in much the same light, considering the positive aspects of continued development of Chattanooga’s Innovation District in regards to social, cultural, and economic impact, while providing little information on the negative impacts attributed to urban redevelopment.
Personal interviews yielded more realistic insight into both the positive and negative effects of redevelopment, where both John Pless and Rob Wichtman provided context for the displacement of citizens in the focused area of urban redevelopment related to the Innovation District. Homeless individuals who utilized Miller Park and the surrounding area as a safe and central place to spend time have been displaced as a result of the revamping of Miller Park and the surrounding area, forcing individuals to relocate and upsetting what has been a consistent area for sheltering of homeless individuals for a number of decades.
Chattanooga's focus on their Innovation District certainly seems a large part of the developmental future of the downtown area. While the production of promotional information via the Enterprise Center itself is going to lean towards positive and inspirational information and advertising for their plan, independent studies and community perception certainly paints the future of the Innovation District in a positive light. The Bento Lobo study, although dated in its 2015 publish date, looks at the 2011-2015 time frame with regards to realized value leveraged against predicted value, finding positive net benefits when accounting for infrastructure costs and total net economic and social benefits. The National League of Cities piece is penned in much the same light, considering the positive aspects of continued development of Chattanooga’s Innovation District in regards to social, cultural, and economic impact, while providing little information on the negative impacts attributed to urban redevelopment.
Personal interviews yielded more realistic insight into both the positive and negative effects of redevelopment, where both John Pless and Rob Wichtman provided context for the displacement of citizens in the focused area of urban redevelopment related to the Innovation District. Homeless individuals who utilized Miller Park and the surrounding area as a safe and central place to spend time have been displaced as a result of the revamping of Miller Park and the surrounding area, forcing individuals to relocate and upsetting what has been a consistent area for sheltering of homeless individuals for a number of decades.
Conclusions
While NoogaNet may not be quite what its made out to be, Chattanooga is still one of the leaders in innovation. The city and private businesses have invested a considerable amount of time, money and resources to make Chattanooga a player in the business world. The city and its partners have embraced the ideas of innovation and now have a district to show for it. It is clear that with the help of the EPB, the city is marking strides towards engaging more of the community, offering services to more people and enticing businesses to operate out of downtown. The success of the public private partnership can be attributed to many things, but one that sticks out drastically is the commitment to planning and development of the city as a whole. The innovation district is a product of this, but the scope of this project reaches far beyond the buildings and businesses inside of it. City officials are continually using the project as a living, growing initiative that not only grants benefits to the city but to other cities as they look to improve their communities and attract businesses.
The city’s work on the innovation district is not done. They have plans in place to continue to develop the area and use it as a starting point to update other areas of downtown. By keeping technology and its advancements in mind, the development of Chattanooga remains on pace with time. Its one of the reasons the Innovation District has been so successful. As the city continues to improve it, it would be interesting to see how other cities across the country follow suit and implement their own innovation districts. Chattanooga City Mayor Andy Berke said, "Thinkers, starters, and doers, (the innovation district) is a bold place full of people working together to discover the next big thing."
While NoogaNet may not be quite what its made out to be, Chattanooga is still one of the leaders in innovation. The city and private businesses have invested a considerable amount of time, money and resources to make Chattanooga a player in the business world. The city and its partners have embraced the ideas of innovation and now have a district to show for it. It is clear that with the help of the EPB, the city is marking strides towards engaging more of the community, offering services to more people and enticing businesses to operate out of downtown. The success of the public private partnership can be attributed to many things, but one that sticks out drastically is the commitment to planning and development of the city as a whole. The innovation district is a product of this, but the scope of this project reaches far beyond the buildings and businesses inside of it. City officials are continually using the project as a living, growing initiative that not only grants benefits to the city but to other cities as they look to improve their communities and attract businesses.
The city’s work on the innovation district is not done. They have plans in place to continue to develop the area and use it as a starting point to update other areas of downtown. By keeping technology and its advancements in mind, the development of Chattanooga remains on pace with time. Its one of the reasons the Innovation District has been so successful. As the city continues to improve it, it would be interesting to see how other cities across the country follow suit and implement their own innovation districts. Chattanooga City Mayor Andy Berke said, "Thinkers, starters, and doers, (the innovation district) is a bold place full of people working together to discover the next big thing."
References
DiMaggio, Paul, et al. “Social Implications of the Internet.” Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 27, 2001, pp. 307–336. JSTOR,
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2678624.
Enterprise Center. “Innovation District Framework Plan - Chattanooga.” 2018.
https://framework.chainnovate.com
EPB. “2017 Annual Report.” 2017. https://epb.com.
Glenn, Terrah W. “Innovation Districts: The Chattanooga Story.” National League of Cities. 2016.
Lobo, Bento J. “The realized value of fiber infrastructure in Hamilton County, Tennessee.” The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. 2015.
Pless, John. Personal Interview. 20 March 2018.
Wichtman, Rob. Personal interview. 20 March 2018.
DiMaggio, Paul, et al. “Social Implications of the Internet.” Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 27, 2001, pp. 307–336. JSTOR,
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2678624.
Enterprise Center. “Innovation District Framework Plan - Chattanooga.” 2018.
https://framework.chainnovate.com
EPB. “2017 Annual Report.” 2017. https://epb.com.
Glenn, Terrah W. “Innovation Districts: The Chattanooga Story.” National League of Cities. 2016.
Lobo, Bento J. “The realized value of fiber infrastructure in Hamilton County, Tennessee.” The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. 2015.
Pless, John. Personal Interview. 20 March 2018.
Wichtman, Rob. Personal interview. 20 March 2018.