Gig.U joins universities together to make the internet a faster place

College internet sucks. It's one of the worst parts of college, right behind going to class, studying, and leftover ramen. Plenty of schools have great overall bandwidth, but when spread across tens of thousands of students, it can be worse than a 56K modem. Especially if you stream Netflix, play games online, or use the internet as intended.

That's where Gig.U comes in. The organization, currently working with 29 universities, is working to bring schools into the Gigabit per second range. And not just colleges in the program, but communities near those schools where students and teachers reside. That way, research, communications and general education isn't stifled by slow ISPs and a weak infrastructure.

It's a cool initiative, one that with enough time and schools can actually boost our country's internet speeds to something respectable. Obviously the government doesn't have the money to support it, so Gig.U is relying solely on non-profits, business and individual contributors, and the universities themselves. That means if you're going to one of the 29 schools currently a member of Gig.U, tuition costs might be higher...but oh it'll be so worth it. Assuming they actually finish before you graduate.

Scientific American