< PreviousLayers of ConnectivityOntario continues to be the West Coast air and truck hub for UPS Airlines and is a major distribution point for FedEx Express and Prime Air. ONT’s overall regional economic impact is $5.4 billion per year and growing, with plans for more mixed-use development moving forward fast. Improvements in other modes of infrastructure beyond runways and highways are undergirding that growth.In October, transportation policy leaders from across Southern California gathered to discuss strategies for connecting commuters into and out of ONT. Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority, mayor pro tem for the City of Ontario and president of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), noted that after doubling passenger traffic in the two years since wresting 210 NOVEMBER 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO N S I T E S E L E C T I O N NOVEMBER 2018 211back local control, ONT is on track to handle 5 million passengers, with long-term capacity estimated at 30 million passengers per year.“Our commitment to our community is that we will continue to grow the airport as long as we’re not reliant on people driving their own cars,” Wapner said. “This requires a multimodal transportation system that can accommodate the growth that’s occurring and will continue to come.”A new SCAG study evaluates the pros and cons of such alternatives as commuter rail, light rail, low- or zero-emission hybrid rail, bus rapid transit and express buses to connect Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Whichever solutions are pursued, they’re likely to be outfitted with wifi, as broadband connectivity also improves throughout the region.The city recently hosted the national Broadband Communities conference, where local leaders showcased OntarioNet, one of Southern California’s first municipal-owned fiber-optic networks. Now the city is developing a master plan to guide the growth of fiber-optic backbone infrastructure among city facilities and departments, in order to reduce reliance on third-party service and reduce expenses along the way.Business likes to see such fiscal stewardship. Business leaders like it even more when they see that the city ultimately plans to use the fiber-optic network to encourage business retention and attraction, extending Fiber-to-the-Business (FTTB) and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) to focus areas such as Ontario Ranch.From monitors at the airport to computer monitors in smart homes, Ontario is expediting its master-planned vision from the faraway future to a tomorrow that’s nearer than you think. 212 NOVEMBER 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO NNext >