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Mount Airy News Fiber optic cable being installed for schools others Page 1 of 3
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Fiber optic cable being installed for schools, others Weather
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Crews have been working in Mount Airy to install fiber-optic cable, the latest leg locally of an ambitious project to connect schools and other facilities to a statewide information network. Mount Airy, North Carolina
The work has been under way on Rockford Street (U.S. 601) since about Nov. 1, headed by Edwards Telecommunications Inc., a South Carolina firm.
A crew works Friday to install fiber-optic cable along Rockford Street in Mount Airy as part of a statewide communications network to connect schools and other institutions.
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It reflects an effort by a non-profit corporation, the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC). It operates the N.C. Research and Education Network, which is involved with connecting all K-12 schools, community colleges, universities
and select non-profit health care sites. The underground installation of fiber-optic cable allows these entities to be linked to each other, the Internet and global research networks at high speeds. The intent behind the project is that access to a broadband and fiber-optic infrastructure is essential for innovation and economic development everywhere in North Carolina. Such technology allows transmissions over greater distances and at higher bandwidths (data rates) than other forms of communication.
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Done In Phases The fiber-optic cable project in Surry County is occurring in phases, according to Mount Airy officials. An initial phase that was 18 miles long stretched from West Pine Street into Dobson and on to Surry Community College.
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Phase Two, which is now under way, has included extending cable from SCC north along U.S. 601/Rockford Street toward the public library in Mount Airy, which crews were approaching Friday. The work generally has been occurring on the east side of the roadway. From the library, the route progresses to nearby Graves Street and then west on Pine Street, before turning north on North South Street and continuing to the Mount Airy High School-Orchard Street area. While private contractors have been handling the installation, the city government has been involved from an advisory standpoint, according to Jeff Boyles, Mount Airy’s public services director. As the crews approached the city, a substantial degree of directional boring was required as the installation contractor navigated around existing buried infrastructure, according to city Community Development Coordinator Martin Collins. “They’re working with us to avoid the water and sewer (pipes),” Boyles explained, along with electrical and telephone lines or other fixtures already buried throughout the installation path. A “tremendous amount” of pinpointing has been involved to keep the fiber-optic crews from disturbing any existing components, he added. “And, of course, that has taken up some of our time, but they seem to be moving along pretty well, Boyles said.
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In 2010, the state received $28.2 million from the federal American Recovery and NYSE/AMEX data delayed 20 minutes. NASDAQ and other Reinvestment Act to build the 480-mile fiber-optic network for the N.C. Research and data delayed 15 minutes, Dow Jones Indexes are updated Education Network. http://www.mtairynews.com/view/full_story/20871394/article-Fiber-optic-cable-being-installed-for-schools--others?instance=popular daily and reflect End of Day Pricing
Officials said then that the construction was expected to last up to three years and cut across 37 counties. The completed network has the potential to serve more than 1,500
11/19/2012
As the crews approached the city, a substantial degree of directional boring was required as the installation contractor navigated around existing buried infrastructure, according to city Community Development Coordinator Martin Collins.
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“They’re working with us to avoid the water and sewer (pipes),” Boyles explained, along Mount Airy News Fiber optic cable being installed for schools others Page 2 of 3 with electrical and telephone lines or other fixtures already buried throughout the installation Sponsored By: path. A “tremendous amount” of pinpointing has been involved to keep the fiber-optic crews from disturbing any existing components, he added. “And, of course, that has taken up some of our time, but they seem to be moving along pretty well, Boyles said.
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In 2010, the state received $28.2 million from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to build the 480-mile fiber-optic network for the N.C. Research and Education Network.
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Officials said then that the construction was expected to last up to three years and cut across 37 counties. The completed network has the potential to serve more than 1,500 school and community institutions, 180,000 businesses and more than 300,000 underserved families. Due to the non-profit Microelectronics Center of North Carolina raising $11.7 million in matching funds for the federal allocation, the project represents a total investment of $40 million. Reach Tom Joyce at 719-1924 or tjoyce@heartlandpublications.com. Share This Article |
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11/19/2012
SOURCE: Daily Advance (Elizabeth City,NC) AUDIENCE: 75,000 [provided by Nielsen//NetRatings] DATE: 11−24−2012 HEADLINE: Broadband benefits touted Source Website A new broadband cable in the Albemarle is needed to feed schools' growing appetite for more bandwidth, says the chief executive officer overseeing the project. Each year, the demand for more bandwidth grows by 40 percent to 50 percent, said Joe Freddoso, CEO of the private, not−for−profit company that is installing new cable in the region. Freddoso said the ever−growing need for more computer power is expected to grow in the coming year. More computerized testing − now required under the new core curriculum − will mean an even greater demand for greater bandwidth, he said. Freddoso said the new $144 million project by Microelectronics Center of North Carolina will be completed just in time to help meet that demand. The second phase of the project is building 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties. Work now under way in Currituck, Camden, Chowan, Pasquotank, and Perquimans counties is scheduled for completion by the end of March. The path of the new broadband cable runs past its target customers − essentially schools, colleges, hospitals, libraries and government buildings to help boost existing computer capabilities. The new core curriculum will tap into those capabilities. Some local school officials say getting enough computers for the online testing is their biggest challenge. Yet, Freddoso said extra computers will do little good if the school system's network is not set up to provide service. Extending more cable into the area was a step in that direction, he said. MCNC initially asked private providers − including CenturyLink − if they would partner with MCNC in building the new infrastructure. But the companies said they could not justify to stockholders the cost of expanding bandwidth to just a select customer, said Freddoso. Using federal and state grants and private contributions, MCNC did the job alone instead. The new broadband cable is just an extension of the state's already existing backbone, said Freddoso. The North Carolina Research and Education Network provides Internet and networking to state colleges, universities and public schools. North Carolina saves millions of dollars each year by buying Internet access in bulk for institutions across the state, he said. Local school systems may not actually see the savings. As usual, they will still get bills from private providers, such as Century Link, which provide links from NCREN's system to individual schools. School systems, however, will not be paying those private providers for added bandwidth. MCNC's new cable offers the extra computer capability without charge to the school systems, said Freddoso. For Elizabeth City State University, the added bandwidth will open up new opportunities for partnerships with other universities across the state and nation. For example, added bandwidth would allow ECSU to partner with University of Indiana in offering a new high−tech math course. 1
Freddoso said the new fiber optic cable has the potential to benefit private businesses as well. MCNC is not directly offering service to anyone other than their target customers, but private providers will have an opportunity to tap onto the new line. In some cases, the MCNC cable follows the same path as other fiber optic cables already installed by private providers. Critics have said the MCNC cable in some cases duplicates what's already available by private providers. Freddoso said the duplication is not a bad thing. Many businesses would prefer having access to two lines rather than one as a back竏置p in case one line is cut. When businesses consider the loss in productivity during computer down time, the cost of paying for that protection may be worth it, he said. Highlights: MCNC, Microelectronics, Center, North, Carolina, Research, Education, Network
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SOURCE: Daily Advance (Elizabeth City,NC) AUDIENCE: 75,000 [provided by Nielsen//NetRatings] DATE: 11−17−2012 HEADLINE: Some question need for broadband Source Website Will a new high−powered Internet cable being installed in the Albemarle boost business or simply duplicate services already offered by private providers? The answer appears to depend on who you ask. Microelectronics Center of North Carolina is installing a broadband cable as part of a federally− and state−funded project to provide better computer access to schools and colleges in "underserved" areas. The cable's path along mostly major highways also offers broadband access to libraries, hospitals and government buildings. Work on the cable line is scheduled for completion by the end of March. While some proponents say the new fiber optic cable will boost computer power and economic development, others are questioning why it's needed when most customers, and many schools, already have high−speed Internet service. CenturyLink, a major Internet provider in the region, already offers high−speed Internet access to most of its customers in Pasquotank, Camden, Currituck, Perquimans and Chowan counties, says one spokesman. Fiber optic cable already extends throughout most of the region, said Derek Kelly, market development manager for CenturyLink. In addition, the company has plans to extend high−speed services to areas without it. For example, CenturyLink will soon be announcing new extensions in Camden and Chowan counties, he said. "CenturyLink has a large fiber network in place throughout northeastern North Carolina, and we continue to place fiber deeper into our network, allowing us to serve close to 90 percent of residential houses in the area and meet the needs of our business customers," said Kelly. Some critics of the project say that MCNC's cable only duplicates service that is already available through private providers. In some locations, for example, MCNC broadband cable is being installed over top of CenturyLink's already installed network. But supporters of the project say the added fiber optic cable will broaden computer capabilities and allow other private providers to offer high−speed service where it isn't offered. Steve Lane of Hertford−based Inteliport said the MCNC cable will allow smaller companies to compete with bigger providers that now have control over infrastructure. The overall impact will be better service for customers and a boost to the economy, he said. "The larger benefit will be to the economy," said Lane. He said customers unfamiliar with how the technology works may not fully understand what new capabilities the MCNC cable will provide. Shelton Spence, who works in technology at Elizabeth City State University, says the extra bandwidth the new MCNC cable will provide should allow ECSU to expand its online offerings.
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The existing fiber optic lines at ECSU already allow for two−way teleconferencing between the university and other locations like N.C. Central University in Durham. More fiber capacity could allow the installation of more teleconference facilities at ECSU. It also would make video reception even clearer while increasing the number of school campuses ECSU could link to. The current system allows ECSU to connect to four or five schools at once. Adding a second larger line would allow ECSU to connect to 12−16 schools at once. Other potential customers say the new MCNC cable will have minimal impact on their current operations. Anita Harris, who heads the technology program for the Elizabeth City−Pasquotank Public Schools, said she doesn't expect a major change in the amount of Internet service the schools get or in the price they pay for it. The school district's Internet service is currently provided by CenturyLink and the state pays the cost. After MCNC's new line becomes operational, each school will get Internet service from it, but the district will still have to pay for the Internet link between each school and the central office. "We'll still have to pay for CenturyLink for those connections," Harris said. "CenturyLink is still going to get the money." Harris said the Internet speed the schools have now is about as good as it gets. The school system has been able to upgrade the network cable inside each school thanks to money from the federal Race to the Top program. What the school system lacks is "end−user devices." That's a term that includes desktop computers, laptops, netbooks and small e−readers. The school system has about 6,000 students and roughly 2,000 computers for them to use. CenturyLink could also tap into the MCNC cable to boost its customer capacity, but the company appears in no hurry to do so. "CenturyLink already has a very robust fiber optic network in northeastern North Carolina," said Kelly. No one appears ready to predict an immediate advantage to residents without high−speed service. Spence said if the MCNC lines simply follow the path of fiber optic lines already in place, then the new lines won't make a huge impact. "The whole plan of the rural initiative is to capture areas that aren't being served now or are being underserved," he said. Spence said smaller, private providers could take advantage and expand service even if large Internet providers do not. Change may not happen immediately, but within a few years, customers without access to high−speed Internet service may see a difference, he said. Highlights: MCNC, Microelectronics, Center, North, Carolina, Research, Education, Network
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