The New Mexico Department of Information Technology is accepting applications for its Regional Broadband Implementation Pilots. The State will launch pilot projects to identify and close gaps in broadband coverage in two regions. The pilots will be completed by September 2014.
The Application and accompanying Fact Sheet are available for download. Applications will be accepted through May 24, 2013.
The Town Council of Holly Springs, N.C. has given the green light for CTC Technology & Energy to begin work on the Town’s fiber optic network plans. CTC Technology & Energy will develop a business case for expanding the Town’s network capacity and offer specific strategies for fiber utilization. The town seeks to increase data communications and network redundancy among Town facilities, and opportunities for economic growth through dark fiber leasing to private carriers.
CTC Technology & Energy will develop a business case analysis, and subsequently a business model for the municipal network. The final report will explore the revenue potential of leasing dark fiber as well as cost savings opportunities associated with providing dark fiber connections to schools and libraries. The network would also enable the Town to tap into the statewide North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), providing connections with schools, hospitals, and other municipalities across the state.
CTC Technology & Energy will support the State of New Mexico over the course of the next two years on the implementation of two regional broadband pilot programs. The pilots will test strategies for developing plans for broadband expansion and maximizing the benefits of federal funding for rural broadband programs.
CTC Technology & Energy prepared a guidebook for the state on local and regional community broadband planning in 2012. The pilots will enable many of the guidebook’s recommendations to be implemented in the two selected areas. The plans will place an emphasis on demonstrating how regional broadband planning and implementation can work over the long term throughout New Mexico. The pilots will also seek to inform the development of public-private partnerships among localities, service providers, utilities and other regional stakeholders. The project will also emphasize ways to maximize the benefits of federal grants that fund broadband deployment in low-income and rural areas, telemedicine for veterans, and distance learning applications.
Even though there will be only two pilot areas, all regions of the State will also have access to the data, applications, and guidance to consider for their own communities’ specific broadband needs and efforts.
The Colorado intergovernmental broadband cooperative EAGLE-Net has released CTC Technology & Energy’s 2012 study on the public middle-mile carrier. The report compares the EAGLE-Net approach with successful models in other states. CTC Technology & Energy’s analysis addresses the concerns expressed by some Colorado companies over EAGLE-Net’s scope of network construction. The report highlights various benefits of the EAGLE-Net network, including: substantial economic growth and job creation; unique intranet capabilities for public entities; and network expansion into unserved areas.
CTC Technology & Energy found EAGLE-Net’s practices to be in line with industry norms. The report states that the cooperative has followed best practices to “maximize win-win outcomes with existing providers.” In addition to concluding that EAGLE-Net has operated in a transparent and open manner that has been non-controversial elsewhere in the country, the report notes a number of key benefits conveyed by the network not otherwise addressed by private carriers. These include: rural network access; fiber-to-the-premises availability; last-mile fiber investment stimulation; and affordable and sustainable service to community anchor institutions.
The full report can be read here.
The City of Lawrence, Kansas has partnered with CTC Technology & Energy to plan for its digital future. CTC Technology & Energy will evaluate the current state of broadband in Lawrence and propose strategies for expanding network infrastructure to serve homes, businesses, and the public sector.
The City Commissioners, who have indicated concerns over the available speeds and costs of broadband in the community, seek ways to leverage Lawrence’s existing infrastructure to encourage further private investment in broadband capacity. Included in CTC Technology & Energy’s analysis will be an assessment of short- and long-term economic development opportunities through fiber and wireless broadband expansion.
Course registration opened this week for two online courses developed and taught by CTC Technology & Energy’s senior engineering team. The Consortium for ITS Training and Education (CITE), a University of Maryland program, offers Telecommunications and Networking Fundamentals and Network Design and Deployment Considerations for ITS Managers and Professionals courses, which start in February and April, respectively. CTC Technology & Energy Principal Engineer Matt DeHaven and Senior Engineer Eric Wirth will teach both courses, drawing on their extensive experience with institutional and wide-area network design and installation.
Online registration for the CITE courses is available at: http://www.citeconsortium.org/registration.html. The courses are free for government agencies, and provide continuing education credit upon successful completion.
CTC Technology & Energy’s investment in solar energy is showing results. The company’s 12.48 kilowatt (DC) rooftop photovoltaic array has produced more than 9 megawatt-hours of energy since it was activated this summer. The energy savings is enough to power 298 houses for a day, and offsets CTC Technology & Energy’s carbon footprint by 6.23 tons, or the equivalent of 160 trees.
CTC Technology & Energy completed installing the solar array at its headquarters office in Kensington, MD in May. With the capacity to produce tens of thousands of watt-hours of energy per day, the solar power source will significantly reduce CTC Technology & Energy’s power grid usage.
The system interfaces with the electrical grid through a “net metering” system, where solar power replaces what would otherwise be drawn from the grid. When more solar power is generated than consumed, the surplus is exported back to the grid.
The State of Kansas has tapped CTC Technology & Energy to perform a study of broadband availability and use throughout the state. The Kansas Statewide Broadband Initiative (KSBI), part of the Kansas Department of Commerce, initiated the project as part of its mission to better understand the broadband landscape in the state and help expand broadband access and adoption.
The comprehensive project will include surveys of broadband connectivity among residents, businesses, and community anchor institutions (CAI). CTC Technology & Energy and the Department of Commerce launched the first of these surveys this week, sending questionnaires to over 900 schools, libraries and hospitals. This CAI study will help CTC Technology & Energy develop a separate assessment of the ongoing needs of Kansas’s existing public networking program. The final reports will include recommendations on the best strategies to increase broadband adoption and utilization across the state by residents, businesses and community institutions alike.
CTC Technology & Energy congratulates the Urbana Champaign community on connecting the first sites on the Urbana Champaign Big Broadband (UC2B) fiber optic network.
UC2B brings ultra-high speed Internet access to homes and community sites throughout the Urbana Champaign area, with an emphasis on low-income and underserved communities. In September, UC2B received NATOA’s 2012 Community Broadband Project of the Year award for its cutting-edge approach to closing the digital divide. At that time, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn affirmed his commitment to broadband growth throughout the state.
“We are committed to growing our broadband infrastructure to connect every corner of our great state,” said Quinn in September. “I would like to congratulate the Urbana-Champaign Big Broadband project, and I would like to thank them for their innovation and tireless efforts to make a difference in their community.”
Video of the ceremony, courtesy of Urbana Public Television, can be viewed here:
The City of Port Angeles is now a giant Wi-Fi hotspot.
City officials marked the launch of the new wireless, citywide network known as “The Mesh” on Monday with a ceremonial cable-cutting. CTC Technology & Energy engineers designed the network architecture and provided business analysis for the project.
The wireless network allows the public to access the Internet on a Wi-Fi enabled device. It also provides the City’s public safety personnel with critical new abilities. Police will now be able to track the position of their fellow officers throughout the city in real-time. Ultimately, the network will allow video exchange between the City’s security cameras and dashboard cameras in police patrol cars.
Public access to the network will be managed by OlyPen MetroNet, a private partner and local telecom company serving the Olympic Peninsula. Wireless service is free through the end of October. On November 1, users can purchase mobile service, on daily, weekly or monthly basis. The network also offers fixed point wireless service with download speeds up to 6 Mbps.