Overview

The DC Community Access Network (DC-CAN) will deliver affordable, value-added broadband services to health, educational, public safety, and other community anchor institutions primarily in the city’s economically distressed areas, and create points of interconnection and provide middle mile services for last mile service providers to deliver affordable broadband access to residents and businesses in these areas. 

With a focus primarily on Wards 5, 7 and 8, DC-CAN is the keystone in the District Government’s bridge across the digital divide.

The network will serve approximately 250 anchor institutions in the underserved area, including community college locations, FEMS and MPD stations, schools, libraries, health care clinics, public housing sites, and senior centers. It will provide anchors with access to up to 10 Gbps broadband services and applications targeted to their needs. 

DC-CAN also creates 10 points of interconnection throughout the city for last mile Internet service providers to deliver affordable broadband access to residents and businesses in underserved areas. Partners will be able to peer at an affordable cost and provide end user access via any type of technology at speeds up to 40 Gbps. The network will provide backhaul and services for commercial and institutional entities.

For more information, see DC-CAN home page.

Request For Information - Last Mile Service Providers

If your organization is qualified to do business in the District of Columbia and you are interested in participating as a last mile provider in the DC-CAN project you may respond to the RFI [PDF]. 

Disregard any deadline notice in the RFI form, responses are now on an open timeline.

Note: Adobe Acrobat Reader X is recommended. Download from Adobe.

To reply to the RFI:

1. Click the respond to the RFI link.
2. Complete the form.
3. Click the Save icon to save a copy.
4. Click the Envelop icon to send the form as an email attachment. (If you do not see the Envelop icon, you will need to open your email software and attached the saved form to an email.)
5. Click Add File and select the saved file. Click Attach.
6. Enter “DC-CAN RFI RESPONSE – (COMPANY NAME)” in the subject field and send the form to dccan@dc.gov

For more answers to questions asked by prospective RFI respondents, see the DC-CAN FAQ.

Past Events

• Ward 8 Town Hall meeting, April 21, 2011
• Groundbreaking Ceremony in Ward 8, March 29, 2011. View the press release.
• Last Mile Provider and Carrier Symposium, December 9, 2010. Thank you to all attendees! View the presentation.