Opportunity Miami recently highlighted how The Underline’s efforts to provide free public Wi-Fi across the 10-mile linear park will help make break the barrier that exists between internet connectivity.

“Nearly seven years ago, on a fall day in New York City, 193 countries of the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. They created 17 broad goals, with 169 targets, addressing areas critical to our economic future.

But arguably, if we had to pick one goal to focus on, it would be universal access to high-speed internet. It’s a point that Softbank’s Shu Nyatta made in a Tweet last year.

In Miami, access to fast, reliable, affordable internet is a challenge. Only 77 percent of households in Miami-Dade County are connected, as we discussed earlier this year. And Miami is hardly alone — many U.S. cities have struggled, prompting efforts like New York City’s internet master plan.

Thanks to the federal Infrastructure Bill, which includes the biggest-ever investment in broadband connectivity by Congress, we have the opportunity to make internet access in Miami-area homes as ubiquitous as running water or electricity. Indeed, former FCC chief of staff Blair Levin said on an Opportunity Miami podcast he thinks it can be achieved in the next five years.

Amid efforts to increase broadband access in every home, it’s also important to expand connectivity in every part of our daily lives. It’s with that in mind that a key effort to expand broadband access is underway on a ten mile strip of land meandering from the Miami River in Miami’s urban core to suburban Dadeland Mall: The Underline.”

Read more here.