The AIR.U initiative, announced in 2012, is a consortium of education associations, public interest groups and high-tech companies organized to establish high capacity White Space networks supporting wireless broadband applications in underserved campuses and their surrounding communities. The founding Higher Ed organizations collectively represent over 500 colleges and universities nationwide and include the United Negro College Fund, the New England Board of Higher Education, the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education, and Gig.U, a consortium of 37 major universities committed to accelerating world-leading broadband connectivity and services.