City of Woodbury
Leading the Way in Publicly Owned WISP Networking
The City of Woodbury is improving access to connectivity in their community as part of the 2021 Georgia Smart Communities Challenge!
“We want to be a part of a community research program that empowers our small, rural, mid-Georgia city through a smart local development program that brings expert opinions and ideas to the table to meet and overcome the challenges we face today and those challenges we will face in years to come.”
– Steve Ledbetter, Mayor of Woodbury
As the first city to be declared “Broadband Ready” by the Department of Community Affairs last year, the City of Woodbury has pioneered a way forward for communities unserved by traditional broadband. After standing up a publicly owned WISP network in 2020, city officials have worked with surrounding communities to assist them in following the same path to success. Currently, Woodbury serves over 50 households and businesses with wireless internet access both within city limits and in neighboring areas.
Seeking to learn more about this model for application across the state, Georgia Tech researchers Ada Gavrilovska and Ellen Zegura, will be working with the City of Woodbury on underlying research to improve and expand their network, while documenting the process as a model for Georgia communities. Additionally, researchers plan to explore applications of wireless internet in the community.
One such application in Woodbury is the proposed Meriwether County AgTech Center for Innovation (MACI). When fully developed, this center will be a multi-disciplinary institution that works to find innovative solutions to the world’s most critical challenges to ensure sustainable food and energy through technology and mechanization. Georgia Tech researchers will explore advancing the center through underlying connectivity-related research
