CB9 COSMOS support letter draft

To the PAWR Project Office Manhattan Community Board 9 is pleased to support the application by the Rutgers University, Columbia University, New York University, along with the City of New York and Silicon Harlem for the proposed Platforms for Advanced Wireless (PAWR) funding for FY2018-2022. The multi-university proposal to develop, deploy, and operate “COSMOS” (Cloud-enhanced Open Softwaredefined Mobile-wireless Testbed for City-Scaled Deployment) in the Upper Manhattan community will enable Harlem to become a leader in wireless innovation while also offering the National Science Foundation (NSF) a unique testbed for deploying advanced broadband and other emerging technologies in a wholly diverse and dense urban community. The PAWR program provides cities an opportunity to establish a research environment that fundamentally encourages the development and testing of next generation wireless technology. The establishment of a PAWR platform would enable experimental exploration of robust new wireless devices, communication techniques, networks, systems, and services. The recipient cities or communities of PAWR funding will undoubtedly become leaders in wireless innovation and entrepreneurship as new technologies and infrastructures are developed, deployed, and marketed. The COSMOS project combines an unparalleled partnership between academic scholarship and its surrounding urban community. Establishing a PAWR testbed in Upper Manhattan/Harlem would ensure that the next generation of wireless technology is founded in the needs and interests of one of the most diverse, dense, and culturally rich communities in the world. Additionally, a PAWR platform would also help bridge the “digital divide” that often plagues low income communities and communities of color. The PAWR funding would create an environment that encourages digital innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement in new technologies. There is no community more deserving of this opportunity than Harlem. I hope you will give the COSMOS application favorable consideration. Sincerely,