Seven Communities Tapped as Broadband Expansion Testbeds A partnership among US Ignite, the National Science Foundation and Schmidt Futures has selected seven projects in both rural and urban areas to expand Internet access and help close the digital divide. Shutterstock/ArchMan Seven communities have been selected as testbeds to grow broadband access expansion. The initiative is part of Project OVERCOME, led by a partnership among US Ignite, the National Science Foundation and Schmidt Futures. The projects range from serving low-income urban communities to hard-to-reach rural areas, with the goal of developing scalable solutions to help close the digital divide in the United States which has left some 17 million people unconnected.