3COM Donates $1 Million to 10 Cities to Help Bridge the Digital Divide

By Joan Crigger

On January 28, near the close of The U.S. Conference of Mayors 68th Winter Meeting, 3Com Corporation, in collaboration with the Conference of Mayors, awarded a total of $1 million in networking equipment and consulting services to 10 cities in the first phase of the company’s Urban Challenge program. 3Com also announced today that Urban Challenge will be extended through the year 2000 to provide another $1 million in grants to 10 additional cities.

The 10 Urban Challenge Winners are: Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, Charleston (SC) Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Chaska (MN) Mayor Robert Roepke, Chester (PA) Mayor Dominic Pileggi, Conference of Mayors President Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb, Glaskow, KY Mayor Charles B. Honeycutt, Madison Mayor Susan J. M. Bauman, New Orleans Mayor Marc H. Morial, Pontiac Mayor Walter Moore, and Providence Mayor Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci, Jr.

The 3Com Urban Challenge program helps mayors bridge the digital divide in their communities by fostering partnerships between public officials and private companies to connect people and communities and to improve access to educational, health care, and other city resources. Through the program 3Com is donating a total of $1 million in technology products and network design and consulting services. The program has grown from 3Com’s proven success in urban environments such as Boston and San Jose.

3Com was brought to the attention of the Conference of Mayors by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in his capacity as co-chair of the Mayors’ Public School Task Force when the Task Force met in Chicago in April 1999. According to Menino, “This relationship we have with 3Com has been critical in our efforts to bring state-of-the-art technology to students throughout the public schools in Boston. David Katz, Director of Global Market Development at 3Com said, “The essence of Urban Challenge is a strong mayor willing and able to bring together interested parties and key constituents to leverage resources in the city. So what we do is look for cities in which mayors can step up to the plate to begin the process of connecting their communities.

The application deadline for the new round of grants in April 15, 2000, and the winners will be announced at the 68th Annual Conference of Mayors in June in Seattle. For applications and information, see their website location: http://www.3com.com/urbanchallenge