News

JUN

02 CTC Article Explores Municipal Role in Developing Broadband Networks

CTC Technology & Energy President Joanne Hovis co-wrote “Broadband in Colorado: Why It Matters to Municipalities,” which has implications for cities nationwide. The article, which was published in Colorado Municipalities magazine (April 2009), methodically answers a range of important questions:

“A City offer wireless broadband? Build fiber optics for public use? Apply for a stimulus grant to serve the public with broadband? Why? Is it doable? Isn’t it expensive? And is this an appropriate role for government?“

Reprinted with permission of the Colorado Municipal League

Published: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 by CTC Technology & Energy

MAR

19 CTC President Represents NATOA and Local Governments in Stimulus Meeting

At the invitation of the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Agriculture, CTC Technology & Energy President Joanne Hovis spoke today on behalf of local governments in a roundtable discussion hosted by the NTIA and RUS. The public meeting was part of the proceeding for developing rules for allocation of the broadband stimulus funds of the 2009 stimulus law. Ms. Hovis spoke in her capacity as a Director of NATOA on the topics of the need for broadband and how to determine appropriate prioritization mechanisms for unserved and underserved areas of the United States.

Published: Thursday, March 19, 2009 by CTC Technology & Energy

MAR

06 CTC President and NATOA Board Member Featured on C-SPAN Discussion of Provisions for Broadband Stimulus

CTC Technology & Energy President Joanne Hovis was recently featured on C-SPAN’s “The Communicators” program. Ms. Hovis, who serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers (NATOA), spoke on behalf of local governments. Sharon Gillet, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Dept. of Telecommunications and Cable, was also featured on the televised program. The focus of the program is on the provisions for broadband deployment, and how state and local governments hope to use the monies made available.

Published: Friday, March 6, 2009 by CTC Technology & Energy

MAR

01 PEG Channels Can Be Treated Comparably to Commercial Channels

In an article published by the Alliance for Community Media, CTC Technology & Energy Director of Engineering Andrew Afflerbach explains that cable operators can deliver public, educational, and governmental (PEG) programs at the same high quality as commercial channels.

The article, “AT&T Has the Capability to Treat PEG and Commercial Channels Comparably,” provides a technical analysis of Internet Protocol video technology (IPTV) and concludes that degraded PEG channel quality results from carriers’ configurations, not the underlying technology.

The article was published in the Winter 2008 issue of Community Media Review.

Published: Sunday, March 1, 2009 by CTC Technology & Energy

MAR

01 NATOA Journal Publishes CTC Article: Fiber vs. Copper

NATOA Journal, the magazine of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers, published an insightful article by CTC Technology & Energy engineers Matthew DeHaven and Priya Wasnikar. “What’s the Fuss About Fiber? A Comparative Analysis of Fiber and Copper Physical Media,” which covers issues such as cost, security, and maintenance, offers a technical analysis of the superiority of fiber optics as compared to the incumbent cable and phone companies’ copper networks.

Published in the Journal’s Spring 2009 issue, the article is especially timely, coming at a time when the federal government is preparing to begin distributing $7.2 billion in broadband project grant funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Both Matt and Priya specialize in feasibility analysis, strategic planning, engineering design, and cost estimation of state-of-the-art broadband wireless and fiber networks.

Published: by CTC Technology & Energy

FEB

15 CTC President Chairs at 2009 F2C: Freedom to Connect Conference

CTC Technology & Energy President Joanne Hovis will chair the opening session of the 2009 F2C: Freedom to Connect Conference on March 30 in Silver Spring, MD. Featured speakers in this Municipal Super-Session will be Chris Vein, CIO of San Francisco; Bill Schrier, CTO of Seattle; and others.

This two-day conference held near the nation’s capital is designed to have the creators of the future Internet meet to engage in mutual learning and exploration. More information on the conference and registration information is available on the conference website.

Published: Sunday, February 15, 2009 by CTC Technology & Energy

NOV

10 CTC Assists National Municipal Associations in FCC Wireless Broadband Proceeding

CTC Technology & Energy has again assisted numerous national municipal associations with their filing of comments in the Third Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making (FNPRM) on the “D Block” Auction at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Earlier this year, CTC Technology & Energy also prepared a report for the National League of Cities (NLC), the National Association of Counties (NACo), the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) on technical issues in support of their comments in the earlier round of the “D Block” public safety broadband wireless proceeding. CTC’s report was filed as an appendix to their formal comments.

Published: Monday, November 10, 2008 by CTC Technology & Energy

OCT

10 CTC Recognized Among Top 100 Regional Minority Businesses

CTC Technology & Energy has been selected to receive the prestigious Top 100 Minority Business Enterprise Award. This program is designed to acknowledge and pay tribute to outstanding women and minority business owners in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The awards ceremony will take place at the Inn and Conference Center at University of Maryland University College in Adelphi, Maryland on November 6th.

“CTC is proud to be recognized as a Top 100 minority business,” said Joanne Hovis, President. “For more than 25 years, we have been providing quality services to governmental, educational, medical, and non-profit entities across the region and the nation.”

CTC Technology & Energy is a woman-owned, small business founded in 1983 and headquartered in Kensington, Maryland with satellite offices in other states. The firm provides communications engineering and technology consulting services for the public sector. CTC has worked with the full range of existing and emerging technologies to provide services in technology planning; communications network assessment and implementation; and project management.

A panel of distinguished judges chose finalists based on entrepreneurs that demonstrated outstanding achievement in four key areas: eligibility, entrepreneurship, professionalism and community contributions. This year’s ceremony host organizations are the University of Maryland University College, Southwest Airlines, the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs and the Maryland Department of Transportation.

“CTC represents the best of what our region’s minority business community has to offer,” said Sharon R. Pinder, founder of the Top 100 MBE Awards Ceremony. “This award is the culmination of sacrifice, dedication and hard work and will inspire future minority business entrepreneurs to strive for the same level of success.”

To obtain tickets for the 2008 Top 100 Awards Ceremony or for a complete listing of this year’s winners, please visit: www.top100mbe.com

Published: Friday, October 10, 2008 by CTC Technology & Energy

JAN

30 CTC Project NCRnet Receives 2007 NATOA Community Network of the Year

The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors has awarded a CTC Technology & Energy project—NCRnet—its 2007 Community Network of the Year honors. An article about NCRnet appears in the Winter 2007 edition of the NATOA Journal.

Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 by CTC Technology & Energy

JAN

22 CTC Assists Michigan Local Governments in Securing Temporary Injunction Halting Comcast’s PEG Access Channel Move

On January 14, 2008, the federal district court in Michigan issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction preventing the move of PEG (public, educational, and governmental) access channels by Comcast. A suit was filed by Meridian Township and the City of Dearborn on January 11, 2008 asking that Comcast be prevented from dropping the PEG access channels from the analog tier of service and only making them available in digital.

CTC Technology & Energy served as a technical expert in this case and Dr. Andrew Afflerbach, P.E., CTC Technology & Energy’s Director of Engineering, filed two affidavits (Affidavit I, Affidavit II) providing technical support for the position of Meridian Township and the City of Dearborn.

The temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction will remain in effect preventing Comcast from dropping the PEG access channels from the analog service until a new order is issued by the court.