Tag Archives: CTC

MAR

25 CTC Technology & Energy to Develop Fiber Business Plan for Holly Springs, NC

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.

Published: Monday, March 25, 2013 by CTC Technology & Energy

MAR

21 CTC Technology & Energy to Provide Support for NM Broadband Pilots and Strategic Plan

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.

Published: Thursday, March 21, 2013 by CTC Technology & Energy

MAR

01 EAGLE-Net Releases CTC Technology & Energy Report

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.

Published: Friday, March 1, 2013 by CTC Technology & Energy

FEB

28 Lawrence, KS Taps CTC Technology & Energy for Fiber and Wireless Broadband Planning

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.

Published: Thursday, February 28, 2013 by CTC Technology & Energy

NOV

30 CTC Technology & Energy Reduces Carbon Footprint with Solar Array

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.

Published: Friday, November 30, 2012 by CTC Technology & Energy

NOV

21 CTC Technology & Energy Launches Comprehensive Study of Kansas Broadband

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.

Published: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 by CTC Technology & Energy

NOV

10 UC2B Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, First Sites Connected in Urbana-Champaign

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:

Published: Saturday, November 10, 2012 by CTC Technology & Energy

OCT

03 CTC Technology & Energy to Study Broadband Options in Westminster, MD

The City of Westminster, Maryland has tapped CTC Technology & Energy to assess the City’s need for a fiber optic communications network. The Westminster Common Council voted unanimously to approve the study, with council members citing lack of broadband service as an impediment to business interests in the community.

Westminster is one of several cities around the country that have recently begun pursuing fiber infrastructure at the municipal level. In the course of the study, CTC Technology & Energy will seek to identify potential private partners for the City. Any fiber network the City decides to build would almost certainly include a connection to Carroll County’s portion of the One Maryland Broadband Network, an infrastructure initiative connecting every county in the state.

Published: Wednesday, October 3, 2012 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.