Since launching the citywide connectivity effort in January 2024: DigitalC delivered a next-generation network in under 18 months, connected more than 7,500 households, trained more than 17,500 residents, and scaled The Cleveland Model to Detroit.
CLEVELAND, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — DigitalC announced major milestones reflecting the rapid expansion of broadband access and digital skills training across Cleveland. Since launching its citywide connectivity effort in January 2024, DigitalC has connected more than 7,500 households, including 4,700 in 2025 alone, bringing high-speed home internet to over 18,000 residents.
In June 2025, DigitalC completed the full buildout of Cleveland’s next-generation network in under 18 months, among the fastest community-based broadband deployments in the country. The effort has received local, national, and international recognition as “The Cleveland Model,” a community-based approach to broadband delivery designed to address affordability without compromising quality.
Digital skills training expanded alongside the network build. Since January 2024, DigitalC has trained more than 17,500 residents, including 10,000 in 2025, and facilitated over 20,000 digital-skills learning sessions through partnerships with schools, libraries, housing providers, and community organizations. These milestones reflect performance commitments in DigitalC’s contract with the City of Cleveland, including connecting 4,700 households and training 10,000 residents in 2025.
This year also marked the first expansion of The Cleveland Model beyond Ohio. In a partnership led by Rocket Community Fund, the City of Detroit, Detroit Housing Commission, and Merit Network, DigitalC completed a Detroit pilot project, connecting 450 families across three public-housing communities and demonstrating the model’s ability to scale.
“In less than two years, Cleveland moved from one of the worst cities for connectivity to a fully built, citywide network—turning broadband into an engine for digital empowerment,” said Joshua Edmonds, Chief Executive Officer at DigitalC. “That progress was made possible through strong philanthropic, public, and private partnerships, and the access now supports work, learning, healthcare, and everyday online services that drive economic mobility.”
The work has been supported by a broad coalition of partners, including The Mandel Foundation, The Myers Foundation, the State of Ohio, the City of Cleveland, Cleveland City Council, The Gund Foundation, Rocket Community Fund, Microsoft, and Google.
About DigitalC
DigitalC is a nonprofit technology social enterprise headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Through its high-speed home internet service, Canopy, and its community learning initiative, Click, DigitalC is bridging the digital divide—for good—connecting residents, nonprofit, and small businesses to the internet they deserve. Learn more at www.digitalc.org.
SOURCE DigitalC
