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Innovation and Technology

With a long history rich in technology innovation, from the first GPS satellite to revolutionary advances in drilling and beyond, it should be no surprise that Lafayette has positioned itself to become a leader in the 21st century economy.

Looking forward, Lafayette's future is brighter than ever, in particular as it relates to becoming a leader in building the next generation of the Internet. With its unique mix of public and private providers, Lafayette boasts one of the most robust broadband infrastructures in the country, delivering more bandwidth for less money along with greater competition than can be found in major metropolitan areas like D.C. or San Francisco.

Founded to help answer that question is a new nonprofit called FiberCorps. Grown out of the successes of TechSouth and boasting the support of six stakeholder organizations (the Chamber, LEDA, UL Lafayette, LITE, Lafayette Consolidated Government and the Community Foundation of Acadiana), FiberCorps aims to tackle the sociological and business challenges associated with enabling and empowering all facets of the community to benefit from and innovate on advanced broadband networks. A first-of-its-kind initiative, FiberCorps will help facilitate Lafayette realizing its full potential as the hub city for fiber-powered innovation.

Wireless technology was pioneered right here, as a way for oil and gas companies to communicate with their production rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Lafayette's entrepreneurs drive our economy, and as we move into a technology-driven economy, our local technology leaders and the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise stand to continue our growth far into the future. This ability to embrace and apply technology became clearly evident in 2005, when Lafayette voters approved the financing needed to extend fiber connectivity to every home and business within the city,” LEDA.

Fiber-to-the-Home

Lafayette’s Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) initiative has been a key component of City-Parish President Joey Durel’s administration. In 1999, Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) upgraded its electric grid monitoring technology by deploying a 65-mile, 96-strand fiber optic network around the city. This fiber optic backbone has also been used to provide communication services to businesses, government and educational entities. Beginning in 2008, LUS Fiber, a division of LUS, began extending this network directly to every home, business and school, creating the city’s only 100 percent fiber optic network. This powerful network is composed of more than 83,000 miles of glass fiber in the city alone. This powerful communications infrastructure will deliver enhanced TV, the fastest Internet speeds and crystal-clear phone service for improved quality of life and greater opportunities for economic development.

Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise

Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) is a 3D immersive visualization and high-performance computing resource center hosting clients in commercial industry, government and university sectors. LITE’s leading-edge facility features a comprehensive set of advanced visualization systems and a massive high-performance computing system. Conceived as a magnet for economic development, LITE’s advanced facilities and staffs of industry experts are available to your business or organization to help transform the process of innovation and accelerate the time to discovery.While the bulk of LITE’s clients to date have come from the health and medical, architecture and construction, film and entertainment and oil and gas sectors, LITE is eager to work with any industry.

LITE is a $27 million, 70,000-square-foot facility located at the Research Park of the University of Louisiana Lafayette. LITE is governed by a Board of Commissioners. More information regarding LITE can be obtained at www.lite3d.com; or by calling 337.735.LITE; or by emailing learnmore@lite3d.com.

Lafayette Entertainment Initiative

“Lafayette, Louisiana, a city of innovation and artistic expression, launched the Lafayette Entertainment Initiative to promote its viability as a prime destination for creative content production. As a forward-thinking, technologically advanced city, Lafayette is currently recruiting film, music and digital media production companies to participate in its development of next-generation infrastructure. Lafayette is distinguishing itself as a high-tech epicenter focused on smart growth and innovative economic development.” lei-la.org

For more information on incentives for movies, media and music, please visit LEI’s website lei-la.org. "LEI is an initiative of the Lafayette Consolidated Government in partnership with the Lafayette Economic Development Authority and the Lafayette Convention and Visitor’s Center."

Opportunity Machine

The Opportunity Machine is a business accelerator designed for technology-focused start-ups looking to grow their businesses and become a part of Lafayette’s developing technology ecosystem. The mission of this organization is to accelerate wealth creation by immersing technology wildcatters into a fiber-powered community of innovators. For more information, visit opportunitymachine.org.

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