Arlington County, Virginia’s ambitious ConnectArlington fiber network was featured in Government Technology magazine as an example of “a unique public partnership” that “will support education, emergency management and other government use.”

The article, which highlighted the drivers behind the project and the myriad benefits it will deliver, noted that Arlington CIO Jack Belcher oversaw the completion of the first phase in late February, and that he expects to connect 50 county sites by fall 2013.

CTC is proud of its support of the ConnectArlington project, from strategic planning to network design and project management. We look forward to continuing to work with Arlington County as the network grows.

CTC congratulates Jacquie Jones on receiving the 2012 Dewey Winburne Community Service Award. Ms. Jones was selected based on her work as Executive Director of the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), a 30-year-old media arts organization that funds, produces, and distributes public interest media for all platforms. NBPC focuses on grassroots engagement models for public media in communities of color to help stations develop a broader viewership audience. CTC is proud to have supported NBPC in preparing grant applications for digital inclusion programs.

The Dewey Winburne Community Service Award was created to honor one of the co-founders of the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival. Mr. Winburne was a teacher who trained at-risk youth to make use of digital technology and believed the new media revolution could help promote equality in society. Awardees are those who work to promote Mr. Winburne’s vision of technology as an equalizer.

CTC President Joanne Hovis was featured in today’s Cumberland Times-News. The article, “Broadband advocate calls for a leap of faith from region,” covers Ms. Hovis’ testimony before the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee. She spoke on the importance of ultra-high-speed, fiber-optic broadband Internet connections to regional educational and economic development opportunities.

The article goes on to cover the broadband study and needs assessment CTC is currently conducting in Allegany County. CTC has a proud history of working with public sector clients, particularly those in rural areas, to assess their current networking infrastructure and provide strategic recommendations for how to improve broadband networking services. CTC is pleased to be assisting Allegany County in this endeavor.

CTC’s client the City of Port Angeles, Wash. was featured today in The Peninsula Daily News. The article, “Port Angeles City Council OKs wireless project,” reported on the unanimous approval by the city council to proceed on a municipal wireless project. CTC has served as technical consultant on the project, conducting the initial network feasibility study, providing engineering design support, and assisting in the preparation of a grant application for federal funds.

Once completed, the Port Angeles municipal wireless network will improve local law enforcement communication. The network will also allow City residents to subscribe to wireless Internet access through a partnership with a private provider.

The Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, a non-profit, regional service organization that represents the interests of consumer-owned electric utilities operating within the Tennessee Valley Authority service area, has selected CTC Technology & Energy to assist it in developing an emergency communications plan. CTC will work with TVPPA stakeholders to identify goals, assess existing infrastructure and resources, and provide a series of recommendations for potential network engineering solutions.

CTC has a history of working on cutting-edge public safety communications infrastructure and is pleased to support TVPPA in this project.

The governments of Allegany and Garrett counties have selected CTC Technology & Energy to assist them with broadband Internet planning projects. Both counties are located in the rural western panhandle of Maryland, where residential and commercial broadband Internet options and speeds are extremely limited when compared to the rest of the state.

CTC will be assisting county officials in conducting feasibility studies to evaluate approaches for improving broadband services. CTC has a long history of providing solutions for broadband service in rural areas and is proud to be working with these counties to improve Internet access for their citizens.

CTC Technology & Energy congratulates Ken Fellman on his appointment to the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC). Mr. Fellman was chosen to participate based on his current role as City Attorney for the City of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. Mr. Fellman has extensive experience in municipal government, having served on the City Council and as Mayor for Arvada, Colorado. Mr. Fellman is a dedicated public servant and will help provide valuable insight for how the FCC and municipal, local, and state governments can best work together.

The principal focus of the Committee during its upcoming two-year term will be the implementation of expanded broadband adoption and deployment, pursuant to the FCC’s National Broadband Plan. The Committee may also focus on such issues as improved public safety communications, facilities siting, universal service reform, and public rights-of-way.

The IAC held its first meeting on December 2, 2011 at the FCC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

CTC Technology & Energy recently kicked off a project with the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) to design fiber optic connections from both Ronald Reagan National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport to the National Capitol Region Interconnection Network (NCRnet). CTC is conducting a feasibility study and assessing potential construction routes to support MWAA as it seeks federal grant assistance for the project.

CTC provided the concept, business case analysis, engineering design, and project management for NCRnet, a 120-mile public safety fiber optic network interconnecting 21 local governments in the greater Washington, D.C. region for enhanced disaster preparedness and first responder coordination.

CTC congratulates Tony Perez, the Director of Seattle’s Office of Cable Communications, on his appointment to the FCC’s Federal Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age. Mr. Perez has demonstrated a commitment to serving the public interest and the citizens of Seattle. He will provide a valuable local administrator perspective for other members of the Committee and the FCC as a whole.

The Diversity Committee’s mission is to advise the Commission regarding policies and practices that will enhance diversity in the telecommunications and related industries. In particular, the Committee will focus on lowering economic barriers to entry for historically disadvantaged men and women, exploring ways to ensure universal access to and adoption of broadband and creating an environment that enables employment of a diverse workforce within the telecommunications and related industries.

The Diversity Committee held its first meeting under its new charter on December 6, 2011, at the FCC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. More information on the Committee, including video of its first meeting, is available here.

The Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER) has awarded CTC Technology & Energy a project to develop business models for its BTOP-funded statewide fiber network in Pennsylvania. Working with KINBER and its member institutions, CTC will assist in creating the next iteration of KINBER’s business plan.