The project director of the U.S. Ignite Initiative held a news conference at HBC's corporate office in Winona Wednesday.
               
The Ignite Initiative is a non-profit program established by the White House with leadership from the National Science Foundation to promote U.S. leadership in the development of applications and services for ultra-fast networks.

Bill Wallace says HBC in Winona was chosen because of the way they provided more than just entertainment to the public.

Wallace says HBC's partnership with Winona Health is an important element in providing a needed service to the community.

Winona and Red Wing are two of 25 cities in the country using the program that will help push cutting-edge technology with the goal of boosting business development. Winona-based HBC is one of 12 national service providers linked to the initiative.

U.S. Ignite's goal is to implement 60 advanced next-generation applications over the next five years in six areas of national priority, including education and workforce development, advanced manufacturing, health, transportation, public safety and clean energy.