Urban Challenge Program – Bridge the Digital Divide.

3Com Corporation in collaboration with the United States Conference of Mayors, awarded $500,000 in networking equipment and consulting services to five American cities. To date, this is the fourth-phase of the company’s Urban Challenge Program bringing the total grants awarded to $3 million. The Urban Challenge Program was created to help cities incorporate technology into their communities and enhance education and public communications systems.

“3Com recognizes that bridging the digital divide and providing America’s students with 21st century communications is one of our highest corporate responsibilities,” said Gwen McDonald, Senior Vice President of 3Com’s Corporate Services. “Through the Urban Challenge Program, 3Com is working with mayors across the nation to integrate technology into their communities and classrooms.”

The Urban Challenge Program helps bridge the digital divide by partnering directly with mayors who are committed to incorporating technology into the fabric of their communities. These programs aim to increase access to educational programs, job training, healthcare and other municipal services.

“Every school and college should be equipped with the up-to-date technology necessary to prepare our children and our workforce for the future,” said New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “Unfortunately, many cities are faced with tight budgets and are unable to provide the resources that schools require. So we are pleased that 3Com continues to provide leadership and good corporate citizenship with its Urban Challenge grants.”

The Urban Challenge Awards ceremony was featured at the 70th Annual United States Conference of Mayors in Washington, DC.

3Com’s Urban Challenge Program was first announced in July 1999 as an ongoing relationship with the United States Conference of Mayors. Since its conception, 3Com has presented 30 awards of $100,000 each to cities throughout the United States, totaling $3 million in products and services. Last year’s winning cities include: Atlanta, GA; Detroit, MI; Fort Worth, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Minneapolis, MN; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Sandy City, UT; Troy, NY; Vineland, NJ; Columbus, OH; Houston, TX; Redmond, WA; Rochester; NY; San Jose, CA.

3Com’s Urban Challenge Winners – January 2002

Alameda, California — Mayor Ralph J. Appezzato

The City of Alameda, under the direction of Mayor Ralph Appezzato, and Alameda Unified School District, headed by superintendent Dr. Alan Nishino, are teaming with 3Com to strengthen parent-teacher communications via a dynamic new program called Parent Connect. The City of Alameda will deploy an array of 3Com networking systems to enable parents across the City’s 18 schools to better monitor and support their children’s education.

3Com, vis-a-vis Parent Connect, will connect the City’s 144-mile fiber optic backbone — currently linked to homes and businesses across the 12.4 square-mile San Francisco Bay island city — to the school district’s network. 3Com will provide wireless connectivity within 10 of Alameda’s most under-served schools, allowing centralized storage of student records which parents can access anytime/anywhere via the Internet, using home-based cable modems and standard Web browsers. Such records include grades, attendance, test results, homework assignments and disciplinary data.

Albuquerque, New Mexico — Mayor Martin Chavez

The City of Albuquerque, spearheaded by Mayor Martin Chavez, is dramatically enriching its curricula thanks to a generous grant award from 3Com’s unique Urban Challenge program. Using 3Com LAN switches and voice solutions, the City will enable its diverse student population to gain high-speed access to curriculum portals and rapidly exchange data and videos with partner schools worldwide. With its new network upgrade, Albuquerque is making giant strides to overcome poverty, language acquisition and learning issues — the community’s three most pressing concerns.

The 3Com Urban Challenge grant will bolster virtually every aspect of Albuquerque’s schooling — from academics to security. The new 3Com switches, for example, will enhance curricular projects, such as the I.E.A.R.N. (International Educational and Resource Network), enabling local students to communicate more effectively online with students at a partner school in China. Together, Albuquerque and Chinese students will work jointly to problem-solve environmental issues, such as waste treatment and air, water and noise pollution. The increased networking speed also will allow Albuquerque schools to investigate the use of distance learning in the I.E.A.R.N. program.

Chicago, Illinois — Mayor Richard M. Daley

The City of Chicago, under the direction of Mayor Richard M. Daley, and Chicago Public Schools, led by chief executive officer, Arne Duncan, are partnering with 3Com to deliver advanced academic services to special needs students in the nation’s third largest school district. Using a stipend from 3Com’ Urban Challenge program, Chicago is leveraging 3Com voice, wireless and data networking technologies to bridge the digital divide for homebound, blind and autistic students.

The 3Com grant will allow the Office of Specialized Services and Department of Assistive Technology to provide special needs students with 3Com LAN and remote connectivity solutions, enabling them to access online curriculum and resources. These systems also will make real-time information available to parents, giving them closer contact with teachers and administrators.

Dover, Delaware — Mayor James L. Hutchinson

Delaware Center for Educational Technology (DCET) and the City of Dover, under the aegis of Mayor James L. Hutchinson, are using advanced networking technologies from 3Com to bridge the digital divide for students and citizens alike. The City of Dover is deploying 3Com voice over IP telephony, building-to-building wireless connectivity and Gigabit Ethernet networking to increase learning opportunities across the community. These technologies will be used at the Dover High School, the Hartly Elementary School and the New Free Library.

The 3Com building-to-building wireless bridges additionally will bolster the City of Dover’s WHEELS (Working to Heighten Education and Employee Learning Skills) program. With the 3Com wireless solution, WHEELS will add Web-based learning and e-mail courses to its computer literacy curriculum at local schools, agencies and community centers. It’s just one more way that Dover, DCET and 3Com are partnering to bring a brighter tomorrow for those who need it most.

New Haven, Connecticut — Mayor John DeStefano, Jr.

The City of New Haven, under the direction of Mayor John DeStefano, Jr., is bridging the digital divide using a grant from 3Com’s landmark Urban Challenge program. The grant will enable the City to develop networked libraries and LEAP community learning centers, where they will augment a wide range of after-school academic programs. Using 3Com systems, the City will move significantly closer to fulfilling its four-phased “Network New Haven” initiative, which aims to provide computer resources and training to at risk residents and school-age children living in public housing.

The grant will provide New Haven with 3Com networking equipment including high-performance LAN switches and wireless systems to establish and strengthen digital networks in the four city libraries and LEAP Centers. It will support hardware and software acquisition and related consulting services at the libraries, and provide seed money for curriculum development of programs such as the “Skills for Life,” which mentors, educates and employs students from eighth grade through high school graduation. New Haven also will use the grant to establish and expand community media centers for use by youth and families. These facilities will complement existing media centers within the New Haven school and library systems. 3Com will provide wireless to facilitate access to the Internet and library databases.