August 2011 GLRBI Clipbook - Round 2

A-B Tech meeting: Officials laud $104 million project to put rural NC on t...

1 of 3

http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2011/a-b_tech_meeting_officials_laud_10...

Login | Register Advanced Search Asheville & Western North Carolina

home

events blogs news a&e features food movies music opinion guides search

classifieds

personals

forums

ae home theatre blog book report soundtrack asheville street style smart bets article archive RSS

A-B Tech meeting: Officials laud $104 million project to put rural NC on the information highway

by Hunter Goosman & Jeff Fobes on 08/12/2011 Related topics: business, internet, information highway

Like

0

Share

The promise of $104 million being spent in rural North Carolina to connect those area with the information highway was enough to bring officials together — some in person and some via the Internet — who applauded from four geographic locations across the state the beginning of a federal Broadband Technology and Opportunities Program grant award. The project will invest $104 million to build 1,200 miles of new broadband infrastructure throughout rural North Carolina, including direct fiber to nearly 180 educational institutions, including K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, and libraries.

A-B Tech was one of the statewide “virtual” groundbreaking locations to launch the second round of the NC-Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative. Among the attendees of the Aug. 12 event at A-B Technical Community College were Rep. Heath Shuler, Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy and A-B Tech President Hank Dunn.

MountainX

Tweets about this article

Join the conversation

Hunter Goosman provided text and photographic coverage via Twitter: The GOLDEN LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative groundreaking is a virtual event across four NC sites.

Dan Gerlach: The project serves rural NC; this broadband investment enables a 10-to-1 return; the project creates jobs.

Sen Hagan: We’re coming together for the kids, students, and for jobs in NC. Congr McIntyre: Broadband is our road to the future.

Sen Hagan: This project is a defining moment for our state.

Congr Butterfield: We need to not only deploy broadband, but also encourage adoption.

Brought to you by Mountain Xpress Recent Activity Create an account or log in to See what your friends are doing.

Best of WNC 2011 | Mountain Xpress | Asheville, NC 1,739 people recommend this.

Rally for jobs: Local progressive leaders tout “Contract for the American Dream” | Asheville News |.

30 people recommend this.

Live from the Gathering of the Juggalos, Day One | Asheville Arts and Entertainment | Mountain Xpre 17 people recommend this.

Smart Bets: The Last Laugh | Asheville Arts and Entertainment | Mountain Xpress 31 people recommend this.

Facebook social plugin

Bellamy, Shuler, Dunn with shovels at the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative groundbreaking (photo: http://t.co/l8Kd2a4 ).

8/12/2011 10:18 PM

A-B Tech meeting: Officials laud $104 million project to put rural NC on t...

2 of 3

http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2011/a-b_tech_meeting_officials_laud_10...

Community Colleges Request free Information from Community Colleges In Your Area! www.collegebound.net

Adult Community Colleges Get Matched to an Adult Community College Program.

Receive Free Info.

www.College.DegreeLeap.com

Fayetteville Tech College Apply to Fayetteville Tech College Tuition, Courses & Admissions Info

CampusExplorer.com/Fayettev

2011 Hyundai Sonata

Congr Shuler: The real winners here will be our children. (Congr Shuler speaking at the groundbreaking. http://t.co/UMLoIFg ) Link to photo of Mayor Bellamy speaking at the groundbreaking: http://t.co/P0y4o53 Like

0

Lease a 2011 Sonata for $199/Month For 36 Months. Don't Miss Out.

www.CompareToHyundai.com

Christian Retreat in NC 10/31-11/2 at The Cove in Asheville - be recharged & renewed in Christ.

Share

www.thecove.org/ChristianRet

Community Colleges

Request free Information from Community Colleges In Your Area! www.collegebound.net

Christian Retreat in NC

10/31-11/2 at The Cove in Asheville - be recharged & renewed in Christ.

I enjoy partaking of the theatre, music and lecture scene in AVL. So many great...

www.thecove.org/ChristianRetreat

2011 Hyundai Sonata

Lease a 2011 Sonata for $199/Month For 36 Months. Don't Miss Out. www.CompareToHyundai.com

Women Seeking Men Women seeking Women Men seeking Women Men seeking Men

Home Loan Fairview Nc

Call Us Today in the Asheville Area for Home Loan Lending Services.

CornerstoneResidentialNC.com www.Groupon.com

Ads by Google

Comments The basic goal in allowing comments on Xpress articles is to try to bring meaningful information to the dialogue while staying respectful of others. Read our full terms here Commenters email addresses are never displayed. Do not insert HTML code.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (without http://) and it will be active.

Does MountainX need to explain Hunter Goosman’s connection to this project?

Naw. This one’s posted under A&E, so it’s all good.

Media Watcher Aug 12, 2011 at 11:39 AM

mat catastrophe Aug 12, 2011 at 2:42 PM

You are not logged-in. Do you have an account?: Login here.

Would you like to Register?: Click here to create a new account.

Or you may use the form below without registering. Your comment will be moderated before going online.

Name: Email: Type your comment in the field below:

Remember my personal information Notify me of follow-up comments?

Retype the word you see below:

HOME

NEWS

About us

News blog

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

GUIDES

CLASSIFIEDS

Asheville Film Festval

Post an ad

Mountain Xpress 2 Wall Street

8/12/2011 10:18 PM

A-B Tech meeting: Officials laud $104 million project to put rural NC on t...

3 of 3

http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2011/a-b_tech_meeting_officials_laud_10...

8/12/2011 10:18 PM

N.C. broadband initiative kicks off new, $104 million phase - Charlotte B...

1 of 2

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2011/08/12/nc-broadband-init...

From the Charlotte Business Journal: http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2011/08/12/nc-broadband-initiativekicks-off.html

Charlotte Business Journal - by Jennifer Thomas , Staff Writer Date: Friday, August 12, 2011, 2:38pm EDT Related: Technology

Jennifer Thomas Staff Writer Email Twitter The Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative has launched a $104 million, second phase of its project to increase access to broadband service in North Carolina’s rural communities.

The effort kicked off Friday with “virtual ground breaking” events held simultaneously at four locations across the state, including the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis, via video conference.

The initiative seeks to improve access to broadband capabilities in rural communities and promote economic growth. The overall project is targeted for completion by July 31, 2013.

It will create one of the largest broadband networks in the country, says Joe Freddoso, president and chief executive of MCNC. That private nonprofit operates the N.C. Research and Education Network, which connects teachers, students and partners with technology.

“It’s kind of like we’re building the highway of the future in North Carolina,” Freddoso says.

The project’s second phase received a $75.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. It also received $28.25 million in private donations, including $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The Rocky Mount-based foundation administers funds from North Carolina’s share of a 1990s national settlement with cigarette manufacturers. It uses the money to aid economic advancement across the state.

In total, the initiative will invest $144 million in broadband services for rural communities. It will add 1,620 miles of fiber-optic cable in 79 of the state’s 100 counties.

“This investment lays the groundwork for sustainable long-term growth,” says Lawrence Strickling, administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “Broadband is the platform for bringing jobs of the future to North Carolina.”

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) says the investment is critical to creating jobs and opportunities in rural communities across the state. Estimates indicate that for every dollar are invested, the state will see an economic impact of $10.

“Broadband is quickly becoming as important to a community’s success as traditional infrastructure,” Hagan says.

In Kannapolis, the 350-acre research campus will benefit from the improved broadband access.

8/12/2011 4:33 PM

N.C. broadband initiative kicks off new, $104 million phase - Charlotte B...

2 of 2

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2011/08/12/nc-broadband-init...

“Now we can connect with every part of the world,” says campus founder David Murdock.

The California billionaire and Dole Food Co. chairman has invested more than $600 million into the biotech hub, which focuses on health, nutrition and agriculture. Eight N.C. universities and the state’s community college system have a presence on the campus.

Covers health care, the N.C. Research Campus, retail

8/12/2011 4:33 PM

Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City NC

ECSU Brand and Logos Media Relations Publications Marketing Identity Standards Guide Style Guide Photo Library News Archive Licensing ECSU Story Quick Facts Campus Map Forms & Documents Staff University Events UR&M Home ECSU Home Back

http://www.ecsu.edu/administration/ia/urm/headline.cfm?ID=11576

Officials break ground to celebrate second round of Broadband Technology Opportunities Program award Kesha Williams August 15, 2011 MCNC, an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K20 education, hosted a statewide virtual groundbreaking on Aug. 12 four locations across North Carolina to celebrate the start of construction of the second round Broadband Technology Opportunities Program award.

This second phase includes the construction of 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through northeastern, north-central, northwestern, central and south-central North Carolina. On this day, AshevilleBuncombe Technical Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis and UNC Pembroke will host simultaneous events linked over NCREN in high Groundbreaking Progress For NC Citizens Multimedia News Background Calendar Vendors-Contractors MCNC began building the first phase of the 400-mile portion of this infrastructure last fall and is now more than 70 percent complete with this build through southeastern and western North Carolina. Private-sector engineering, construction, technology, and manufacturing companies have received contracts from MCNC to assist ,with this build, and MCNC itself has invested more than $9 million in matching funds and administrative fees to oversee the construction Over the last two years, MCNC has taken a leadership role in pursuing funding to build a premier network infrastructure for every citizen in North Carolina. The overarching benefit of expanding the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) through the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative is to foster economic development, job creation, and innovation throughout the state.

Beginning in 2009, MCNC, via a request from North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue and with the support of state's congressional delegation, began to pursue funding to build critically-needed broadband infrastructure throughout rural North Carolina. This middle-mile infrastructure would directly serve education institutions, healthcare and public health facilities, public safety needs and libraries. This infrastructure will also be available to private-sector companies who wanted to bring expanded and more affordable broadband services to rural citizens and businesses.

MCNC, with great encouragement and support, was able to raise $40 million in private matching funds and compete for and win two federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grants totaling $104 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The total investment of $144 million represents one of the largest investments in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history.

Elizabeth City State University, 1704 Weeksville Road, Elizabeth City, NC 27909 P: 252.335.3400 SACS - Policy Manual - UNC Tomorrow - Employment

1 of 1

8/15/2011 5:16 PM

Groundbreaking for fiber-optic network | Salisbury, NC - Salisbury Post

1 of 2

http://www.salisburypost.com/News/081311-fiber-optic-groundbreaking-qcd

customer service | place your ad online | mobile | make us your home page

Home

News

Crime

Sports

Obits

Lifestyle

Local Business Education Calendar

Entertainment

Saturday August 13, 2011

Opinion

Video

Health

Welcome Guest! | Sign In | Register

Environment

Homes

Jobs

Index

Classifieds

Records N.C. Research Campus Politics Political Directory Kannapolis Hashtags Watchdog

Groundbreaking for fiber-optic network

Weekend Garage Sales » 705 Candlewick Drive

Saturday, August 13, 2011 12:00 AM |

Printer friendly version |

E-mail to a friend |

By Joanie Morris

Salisbury. 705 Candlewick Dr. Sat., 8am -1pm.

China dolls,...

View all 32 garage sales

For the Salisbury Post

Open Houses »

KANNAPOLIS — The rest of the world should now prepare for North Carolina.

1290 Dogwood Drive

Thanks to a series of grants totaling $104 million, the second phase of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative will bring 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure throughout North Carolina.

At a groundbreaking ceremony Friday, officials from federal and local governments across the state, as well as the Golden LEAF Foundation and the president and chief executive officer of MCNC spoke about the opportunities that would be had in North Carolina.

Off Mt. Moriah Church Rd, turn onto Colonial Dr. which bears right onto Dogwood Dr. House...

View all 2 open houses Salisbury, NC Overcast, 72° Saturday Forecast Hi: 86° | Lo: 70° Humidity: 100% Visibility: 4.0 miles 5 day forecast | More Weather

The “virtual” groundbreaking included a teleconference between the North Carolina Research Campus and three other sites across the state — Elizabeth City State University, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the AshevilleBuncombe Technical Community College.

At the beginning of the ceremony, David H. Murdock, owner and chairman of Castle Cook Inc. and chairman of Dole Food Co., spoke about the opportunities for scientists at the campus to communicate their findings to the world at a much higher rate.

“To realize we can talk to the world right from here is exciting,” said Murdock. “We have not only become a scientific center, but a great brain center for the world.”

After the broadband infrastructure is laid, officials say it will greatly increase the capacity of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) which brings broadband service to universities, hospitals, schools and libraries across the state.

The teleconferencing event showcased how the North Carolina Research and Education Network works, linking sites via real-time video. When the new lines are laid, the capacity will be much higher than four sites, with the capability to link as many as 100 or more sites together.

It will affect children and families across North Carolina, officials say, even though it will not be available directly to homes.

Imagine students at schools across the state being able to be taught by a teacher at the N.C. School of Science and Math, or a cancer patient in Ashe County being helped by the best cancer doctor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or Duke University.

Most Popular Stories

Prep Football: South's heat wave co ...

Kannapolis shooting victim identifi ...

Area sports briefs: Course-record 6 ...

Henderson principal suspended Couple accused of swapping seats in ...

Pastor, wife hit by suspected drunk ...

Man to deputies: Take off your badg ...

“It’s being able to do those things,” said Joe Freddoso, president and chief executive officer of MCNC. “It’s kind of like we’re building the highway of the future in rural North Carolina.”

MCNC is a private, nonprofit organization that runs the North Carolina Research and Education Network. The organization secured two grants through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to fund the infrastructure. Broadband Technology Opportunities Program funds make up $75.75 million of the funding for this phase; MCNC raised $28.25 million privately, including $24 million from Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total project includes more than 2,000 miles of broadband infrastructure to be outfitted through 69 counties in North Carolina.

“The great work being done here … is going to be able to be shared over the world,” said Freddoso.

Freddoso said MCNC has had conversations with the city of Salisbury, distributor of Fibrant cable and Internet service. While the new fiber optic infrastructure will not provide service directly to customers, MCNC will offer wholesale broadband to companies like Time Warner Cable and municipalities that run their own services, like Salisbury.

Photos

Forums

Blogs

a boy with his 1st catch In: A Day in the Life By: ksadler

little gardener and his giant zuccini

“Our presence by nature will make the market competitive,” said Freddoso.

In: A Day in the Life By: ksadler

Salisbury and other cable and Internet service providers generally buy their broadband access from other companies.

These are called middle mile networks. The providers are called last mile networks.

“Our goal with this project is to work with private sector and municipal programs … to make that wholesale market more competitive. It will raise that capacity of service and it will hopefully lower your costs,” Freddoso said.

Videos

Poll

The FBI recently disclosed it might have a new lead in the 1971 case of famed skyjacker D.B.

8/13/2011 9:23 AM

Groundbreaking for fiber-optic network | Salisbury, NC - Salisbury Post

2 of 2

http://www.salisburypost.com/News/081311-fiber-optic-groundbreaking-qcd

N.C. Sen. Fletcher Hartsell, R-Cabarrus/Iredell, referred to the campus as ground zero during the ceremony.

Cooper. What do you think happened to Cooper?

“This is literally the site of the largest number of jobs lost in a single day in North Carolina,” said Hartsell, referring to the closing of Pillowtex in 2003.

Still at large and living large Plunged to his death Was eaten by Bigfoot

He calls the research campus “phoenix,” rising up out of the ashes of Pillowtex. The real-time gathering of information that will be available thanks to the broadband infrastructure will accelerate sharing across the world, he added.

“This initiative will not just create jobs but it will create learning jobs,” he said.

Died later of natural causes

View past poll results

U.S. Sen. Hagan, D-N.C., called the initiative exciting.

“There are a lot of children accessing this in North Carolina who are going to benefit for the rest of their lives,” said Hagan. “We are coming together truly for the family and students and jobs of North Carolina.”

In all, 179, community anchor institutions will be directly connected to the infrastructure across 69 counties.

“It’s going to make a huge difference, not only to my kids, but yours and each of our partners across North Carolina,” Hagen said.

U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, D-8th, warned during the groundbreaking ceremony that while this is a great accomplishment, it’s not over yet.

“We’ve got to keep pushing until it’s in all our counties, not just one and done,” said Kissell.

To view a complete video of the virtual groundbreaking ceremony, visit www.mcnc.org .

Joanie Morris is a freelance reporter for the Salisbury Post. She can be reached at 704-797-4245 or news@salisburypost.com

11

0

Recommend

More News Stories

Most Read News Stories

NC at No. 10 in country for farmers markets; Rowan adds its Henderson principal suspended 19 Comments 1 Comments share Spencer set limits on outdoor dogs 136 Comments Woman gets 15 months for killing boyfriend 1 Former teacher violated probation by having pornography Comments ‘Memories of Yesteryears’ Sept. 10 at Price of Freedom Museum

Mobile home park residents fearful

11 Comments

Diving into cancer treatment

Indoor bike ride for Prevent Child Abuse Rowan on Sept. 17 16th Mass Dunbar Reunion will be Sept. 2-4 in East Spencer If you would like to subscribe to the Salisbury Post, click here.

Comments Notice about comments: Salisburypost.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Salisburypost.com cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Salisburypost.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

DO NOT POST: * Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo. * Obscene, explicit, or racist language. * Personal attacks, insults or threats. * The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity. * Comments unrelated to the story.

Full terms and conditions can be read here Salisbury Post is proud to offer our users enhanced commenting features. You can now build user-to-user connections, follow friend's recent posts, add an avatar that fits your personality, and more.

To leave a comment, please Sign In or Register.

1 comment

Top Ads

Autos

Jobs

Homes

Education Rowan-Cabarrus Community College seeks applications for an Electronics Engineering Instr Management Executive Director, North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) Operations Kannapolis, NC Manaufacturing NGK Ceramics USA, Inc. Mooresville, NC Department Team Leaders Technical Te Drivers CDL INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS Do you have the desire to be an owner Operator without the bu Professional Salisbury Rowan Community Action Agency, Inc. (SRCAA), a non-profit agency located at Healthcare Certified Pharmacy Technician Experience, bilingual abilities and strong computer skil Education Rowan-Cabarrus Community College seeks applications for the following positions: Educati

View All Top Ads > No Top Automotive today Education Rowan-Cabarrus Community College seeks applications for an Electronics Engineering Instr Management Executive Director, North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) Operations Kannapolis, NC Manaufacturing NGK Ceramics USA, Inc. Mooresville, NC Department Team Leaders Technical Te Drivers CDL INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS Do you have the desire to be an owner Operator without the bu Professional Salisbury Rowan Community Action Agency, Inc. (SRCAA), a non-profit agency located at Healthcare Certified Pharmacy Technician Experience, bilingual abilities and strong computer skil Education Rowan-Cabarrus Community College seeks applications for the following positions: Educati

View All Top Jobs > No Top Real estate today No Top Homes today

Information Guide

Career Information Electronics Guide Auto loan Information Parenting Information

Sort:

Score: 1 pierce regenry 8:47 AM on August 13, 2011 Glad to see MCNC offering wholesale fiber based broadband at cheaper rates to Time Warner who is currently building up their fiber optic all over Salisbury. Perhaps Fibrant can get out from under very expensive thumb of Level 3 Communications and switch to MCNC.

Report Abuse

© 2011 Post Publishing Company, Inc. | Terms of Use | Privacy | KCR Archives | Contact Us | Kannapolis | Davie County Enterprise Record | Clemmons Courier

8/13/2011 9:23 AM

Leaders celebrate broadband expansion with 'virtual groundbreaking' | Ind...

1 of 3

http://www2.independenttribune.com/news/2011/aug/13/leaders-celebrat...

Monday, August 15, 2011 | Harrisburg, North Carolina 79째 Feels Like: 81째 Clear

8/15/2011 10:46 AM

Leaders celebrate broadband expansion with 'virtual groundbreaking' | Ind...

2 of 3

http://www2.independenttribune.com/news/2011/aug/13/leaders-celebrat...

NEWS HOME / NEWS /

8/15/2011 10:46 AM

Leaders celebrate broadband expansion with 'virtual groundbreaking' | Ind...

3 of 3

http://www2.independenttribune.com/news/2011/aug/13/leaders-celebrat...

ADVERTISEMENT

Leaders celebrate broadband expansion with 'virtual groundbreaking' Recommend

Sign Up to see what your friends recommend.

DealTaker.com Promo Codes

Credit: Photos by James Nix Games, Puzzles & Trivia Advergaming and Branded Media

Independent Tribune Independent Tribune: Partners: Regional Partner Links:

Log in for comments | Site Map | Search | Find Concord Jobs Newspapers in Education | Corrections Statesville Record & Landmark | Winston-Salem Journal

A groundbreaking ceremony during an announcement of the second phase of a rural broadband initiative partially funded by federal stimulus money.

By: BEN MCNEELY Published: August 13, 2011

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- Rural broadband access got a jump-start at the N.C. Research Campus Friday.

Elected leaders held a “virtual ground-breaking” on the second phase of a massive statewide project to bring broadband access to rural areas in the state.

The $105 million project – with $75 million coming from federal stimulus money – will install about 1,650 miles of new broadband fiber cable through rural counties. This will increase access and boost speeds up to 1 gigabit of information a second, said Lawrence Strickling, assistant secretary for the U.S. Commerce Department.

But for legislators on the state and federal level, the message was clear: This program expansion will help create jobs, connect schools and universities and expand the broadband infrastructure to people where they need it.

“Far too many people lack the 21st Century tools to compete in the global economy,” said Sen. Kay Hagan.

“Rural areas were hit hard in the economic downturn.”

The other $24 million to pay for the project is a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, through its Rural Broadband Initiative.

“The world we live in today depends on more and more connections,” Hagan said.

The N.C. Research Campus will be a new hub in this broadband network, allowing scientists at the Core Research Laboratory to share information throughout the state and world at speeds faster than regular broadband.

Joe Freddoso, chief executive of MCNC, the non-profit leading the rural broadband project, said the project would affect research and development, education and health care.

While this network is primarily for institutional customers – schools, colleges, hospitals – MCNC is talking with private industry partners to help distribute broadband access to residences, Freddoso said.

“We’re bringing the highway of the future to North Carolina,” he said.

Contact online editor Ben McNeely: 704-789-9131 Recommend

Sign Up to see what your friends recommend.

Reader Comments *Facebook Account Required to Comment. If you are not already logged into Facebook, please click the comment button to do so.

Add a comment...

Facebook social plugin

8/15/2011 10:46 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - Tec...

1 of 3

HOME

COMMUNITY

Space

Science

NEWS

Technology

VIDEO

IMAGES

Health

General

SPACE

SCIENCE

Sci-fi & Gaming

TECH

Oddities

http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/2094999/mcnc_begins_round...

HEALTH

International

EDUCATION

Business

TOPICS

Politics

SEARCH

SITEMAP

Education

Entertainment

Sports

8/14/2011 3:58 PM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - Tec...

2 of 3

Print

Comment

Font Size

Digg

del.icio.us

http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/2094999/mcnc_begins_round...

Discuss article

3

Like

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative Posted on: Friday, 12 August 2011, 11:00 CDT

Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI.

Aug 13, 2011, 8:00 am

Parents Reluctant to Get Help for Obese Children Aug 13, 2011, 7:48 am

Extra Strength Tylenol Changes Coming Aug 13, 2011, 7:43 am

"Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

The Round 2 project is three-times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina. Sixty-nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project. This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with private-sector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

New Device Approval Aug 13, 2011, 7:30 am

DNA Building Blocks Can Be Made in Space Aug 13, 2011, 7:26 am

Med-Tech: Rebuilding Arthritic Fingers Aug 13, 2011, 7:20 am

New Laser Cancer Treatment for Skin Cancer More Videos

Sponsors

Earn your Photography Degree in as little as 18 months! Fin. Aid‌ More info...

Local Mom Exposes an Anti-Aging Miracle. Her $5 Trick ERASES Wrinkles!

Get details...

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

About MCNC MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K-20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration among North Carolina's education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

Fin. Aid For Those Who Qualify. Receive Free Info Today!

More info...

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non-profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems. In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user-community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non-Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

Earn your degree in as little as 18 mos. Fin. Aid avail. for those‌ More info...

Advertisement

Related Videos North Carolina Setting the Health Care Standard North Carolina on Forefront of Healthcare Revolution Dynamic Heart System in Action Gigantic Jet Lightning Spoon Found in Man's Lung 2010 North Carolina Science Festival

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, $8 million from the MCNC Endowment, $4 million from private-sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are -part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e-NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private-sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources For more information regarding all of MCNC's BTOP activities, visit MCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.

You also can follow the progress of the GLRBI at www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI. Questions? Please see our FAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, or contact us for more details.

Editorial Contact: Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 or press@mcnc.org

8/14/2011 3:58 PM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - Tec...

3 of 3

http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/2094999/mcnc_begins_round...

Most Popular Stories Dawn Asteroid Mission Beams Back Science Data Prefrontal Cortex Development Of Humans, Chimps Contrasted Google Remains No. 1 In July Search Engine Rankings Rabid Vampire Bat Kills Migrant Worker Spoiler Alert: Stories Not Spoiled By 'Spoilers' World Of Warcraft Players Losing Interest?

Paper Money Contains Bisphenol A Tropical Storm Muifa Taking Up The Yellow Sea FAA Investigating News Corp's Use Of Drones Voters In Red And Blue States Virtually The Same On Issues Bullying May Contribute To Lower Test Scores New App Gives You 'Penguins In Your Pocket' Retired NFL Players At Higher Risk For Mild Cognitive Impairment

redOrbit Friends

Sandra Garcia

Bob

8/14/2011 3:58 PM

MCNC Begins Round 2 Of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - Th...

1 of 5

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11219381/1/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-gold...

GET JIM CRAMER'S ACTUAL PORTFOLIO FOR FREE! GET FREE NEWSLETTERS

Home Markets News Research Stock Picks Tech Personal Finance Lifestyle Small Business Videos PREMIUM SERVICES HOT TOPICS: Happening Now Today's Top Stocks Buffett Steve Cohen Einhorn Soros Tax the Rich Ackman Stock Futures Dave Fry Paulson Action Alerts PLUS RealMoney Stocks Under $10 Breakout Stocks OptionsProfits ETF Profits(NEW) Top Stocks Daily Swing Trade Portfolio PLUS RealMoney Silver Chairman's Club Ratings Services To order 1-877-471-2967 Cramer's Portfolio Free Portfolio Tool Calculators Mobile(NEW) Stockpickr Stockpickr Answers Mad Money Performance TSC Ratings Stock Ratings Mutual Fund Ratings ETF Ratings Banks & Thrifts Ratings Insurance & HMO Ratings Financial Glossary

INVESTOR ALERT

July Housing Starts Fall 1.5%; Import Prices up 0.3%

Press Releases

MCNC Begins Round 2 Of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative

By PR Newswire

08/12/11 - 12:00 PM EDT Add Comment

Recommend

0

Share

Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

More on Press Releases Live Your Dreams: Be A Winemaker And A Film Star Imperial Resources, Inc.; SWDF Sidetrack - Drilling Ahead To Plan M5 Networks Chief Revenue Officer Keith

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI. "Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Sales Initiatives

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

Society Of Interventional Radiology

The Round 2 project is three-times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for

Nealon Debuts New Channel Partner

Foundation Welcomes Corporate Gift From

Stock Game

Earnings Calendar

Mad Money Screener

Unusual Volume

8/16/2011 8:55 AM

MCNC Begins Round 2 Of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - Th...

2 of 5

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11219381/1/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-gold...

these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

Sirtex Medical Tea Docents Of Chado-En And Ceres Community Project Partner To Sow Seeds

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Society Interventional Radiology GoldenOf LEAF Foundation.

Of The Wellness Gardens

Foundation Funds Howard Hughes Medical Institute Award for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in The total investment

funds from theAircraft MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project. This level of investment represents one of the largest in AAI Unmanned Systems And AME broadbandSystems infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with private-sector engineering, construction, Unmanned Form Strategic materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC Alliance estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

World MRSA Day To Fight For Global Action And Awareness

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for

their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several Nordson Corporation Increases Dividend sitesFor viaFourth HD video forOfaFiscal one-time 19% Quarter Year event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously 2011 across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors

provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

Dynamotive And Genting Bio-Oil To

Explore Partnership In South East Asia

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

Add Comment

Recommend

0

1

2

Next › Last 

JIM CRAMER wants to work for YOU. JIM does the research -- YOU get email alerts each time he trades. JIM provides access to his actual portfolio -- YOU can use it to guide your portfolio strategy. Try Jim's Action Alerts PLUS for FREE!

Sponsored Links

$500,000 Life Insurance No Exam Necessary. Same- day coverage as low as $6.month. Free Quotes USAcoverage.com

Penny Stock Soaring 3000% Sign up for Free to find out what the next 3000% Stock Winner Is! www.PennyStocksUniverse.com

Make Money with Stocks Tricks to beat the stock market and to make a daiily living from it. http://www.hototc.com Buy a link here

Compare All Premium Services: Action Alerts PLUS RealMoney Stocks Under $10 Breakout Stocks OptionsProfits ETF Profits Top Stocks Daily Swing Trade Portfolio PLUS RealMoney Silver Chairman's Club Ratings Services Action Alerts PLUSGet it now! 877-471-2967

Should you weather the storm, or exit the market?

It's a tough call... but it doesn't have to be.

Invest alongside Jim Cramer and Stephanie Link with Action Alerts PLUS... a multi-million dollar charitable trust portfolio.

Let these pros advise you... when to take profits... and when to get out.

BEGIN YOUR ACTION ALERTS PLUS 14-DAY FREE TRIAL NOW! The U.S. Manufacturing Myth: Why China's Rattled!

China is losing its edge. It's now cheaper to make something in Baltimore than Beijing. U.S. manufacturing is surging back! A top analyst at TheStreet has identified a small company at the epicenter of this long-term megatrend. Get its name in our free report called, "The Little- known Industrial Stock With Huge Upside Potential."

Stock Game Earnings Calendar Mad Money Screener Unusual Volume READ THIS FREE REPORT NOW!

8/16/2011 8:55 AM

MCNC Begins Round 2 Of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - Th...

3 of 5

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11219381/1/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-gold...

To begin commenting right away, you can log in below using your Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, OpenID or Yahoo login credentials. Alternatively, you can post a comment as a "guest" just by entering an email address. Your use of the commenting tool is subject to multiple terms of service/use and privacy policies - see here for more details. blog comments powered by DISQUS

Like Add New Comment Required: Please login below to comment.

Warning: A browser setting is preventing you from logging in. Fix this setting to log in

Type your comment here.

Showing 0 comments Sort by

Subscribe by email

Subscribe by RSS

Real-time updating is enabled. (Pause)

Dow JonesS&P 500NASDAQ10-Year Note 11,482.90 1,204.492,555.20 22.85 UP +213.88

UP UP +25.68 +47.22

UP +0.48

Oil * 109.82 10 Yr 2.29% SPDR Gold 171.80 Data delayed 20 minutes

+1.90% +2.18% +1.88% +2.15% Today's Most Popular Stories What Does Wal-Mart Stand For? Hedge Funds' Year of Investing Dangerously Hedge Funds Seen Lagging S&P 500 100 Events That Changed Business: 1900-2000 911 May Soon Allow Texts, Photo Messages Bridgewater, Alas, Also Lost Money on Stocks Twitter Facebook RSS Mobile App

Stock Game

Earnings Calendar

Mad Money Screener

Unusual Volume

8/16/2011 8:55 AM

MCNC Begins Round 2 Of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - Th...

4 of 5

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11219381/1/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-gold...

Sponsored Links

Refinance at 3.25% FIXED! Home Refinance with No Hidden Fees, Points or Costs.

Free Quotes!

Mortgage.LendGo.com

Penny Stock Soaring 3000% Sign up for Free to find out what the next 3000% Stock Winner Is! www.PennyStocksUniverse.com

13% Dividends?

Yes! New report reveals top 5 dividend stocks ? get your copy free! www.InvestingDaily.com/BigDividends Buy a link here

Brokerage Partners

Advertising Partners Keep Rising FOREX: British Pound May Fall As GDP Data Weighs On Rate Hike Bets Trade free for 60 days + Get up to $500 with TD Ameritrade.

Are you an investor who wants to retire comfortably? Click here!

Y

d

l

l

kf

E V if

Free Newsletters from TheStreet After the Bell Before the Bell Booyah! Newsletter ETF Daily Midday Bell TheStreet Top 10 Stories Winners & Losers

k

it

We respect your privacy.

Manage Newsletters Podcasts Daily RSS Updates TheStreet Mobile Edition Connect with TheStreet

TheStreet Mobile | MainStreet | StockPickr | BankingMyWay | Jim Cramer | Doug Kass | RealMoney | Try Action Alerts PLUS Your Account Log In TheStreet Corporate | Home | About Us | Advertise | Reprints | Customer Service | Employment | Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Topic Archive | Video Archive | Stock Quotes Online | Terms of Use TheStreet's enterprise databases running Oracle are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA. Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes for all exchanges. Market Data provided by Interactive Data. Company fundamental data provided by Morningstar. Earnings and ratings provided by Zacks. Mutual fund data provided by Valueline. ETF data provided by Lipper. Terms & Conditions. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions.

TheStreet Ratings updates stock ratings daily. However, if no rating change occurs, the data on this page does not update. The data does update after 90 days if no rating change occurs within that time period.

IDC calculates the Market Cap for the basic symbol to include common shares only. Year-to-date mutual fund returns are calculated on a monthly basis by Value Line and posted mid-month. *Oil Data in Market Overview is Brent Crude Pricing

Š 2011 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stock Game

Earnings Calendar

Mad Money Screener

Unusual Volume

8/16/2011 8:55 AM

MCNC Begins Round 2 Of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - Th...

5 of 5

Stock Game

Earnings Calendar

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11219381/1/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-gold...

Mad Money Screener

Unusual Volume

8/16/2011 8:55 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative | Reuters

1 of 4

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/12/idUS184761+12-Aug-2011...

Register

EDITION: U.S.

Home

Business

Markets

World

Politics

Technology

Opinion

Sign In

Money

Search News & Quotes

Life & Culture

Pictures

Video

ARTICLE

TOP NEWS

Housing starts fall less than expected in July

TOP VIDEOS

MARKETS

Stock futures off on German GDP data

US Indices

demand for rental apartments, while permits for

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures fell sharply on Tuesday after data showed sluggish German growth hobbled the euro zone, rekindling fears about a stagnant global economy. | Video

future construction dropped.

Wal-Mart profit up, U.S. same-store sales fall

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing starts fell less than expected in July as builders broke ground on new multifamily units likely to meet

DOW

213.88 11,482.90 +1.90% NASDAQ

Inside the News: Sentiment sapped by weak German GDP

Google's Motorola bet to reshape Asian phone makers

CONTINUE READING

47.22 2,555.20 +1.88%

Asian stocks up, Euro summit awaited » More Top News

S&P 500

» More Top Videos

25.68 1,204.49 +2.18%

MOST POPULAR

ANALYSIS & OPINION

TODAY IN PICTURES TR US INDEX

China's toxic leaks and social unrest

Argentina's Fernandez hand strengthened by primary

2.43 109.70 +2.27%

By George Chen

A string of chemical spills in China has spurred rising anger, and global investors rushing into China for buying opportunities must bear in mind the political risks.

Full Article

Amoeba blamed for swimming death in Florida Google's Motorola Deal Makes It Clear: The Future's Going Mobile Gaddafi forces fire Scud missile: U.S. official |

Int'l Indices

NIKKEI 9,107.43

Whalen: Why Roubini is wrong about Karl Marx » More Analysis & Opinion

Buffett higher tax call strikes a nerve

Editor's Choice A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours.

Slow German growth hits stocks, euro |

View Slideshow

» Markets

Back to top

EDITION: U.S.

Reuters.com

Business

Legal

Bankruptcy Law

Support & Contact

Contact Us

Account Information

Register

Connect with Reuters

HANG SENG 20,212.08

Markets

World

Politics

California Legal

Technology

New York Legal

Opinion

Money

Pictures

Videos

Site Index

Mobile

Securities Law

Advertise With Us

Sign In

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

RSS

Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider

An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electric trading and data distribution

A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance

Our next generation legal research platform

Our global tax workstation

Investor Relations Careers Contact Us

Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Login or register

Latest from My Topics

8/16/2011 9:14 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative | Reuters

2 of 4

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/12/idUS184761+12-Aug-2011...

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative * Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Fri Aug 12, 2011 12:00pm EDT

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative PR Newswire KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MCNC, the private, not-for-profit

Follow Reuters

operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction Facebook

Twitter

RSS

YouTube

on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

READ

1

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth

Argentina's Fernandez hand strengthened by primary 15 Aug 2011

City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI.

2

Amoeba blamed for swimming death in Florida

3

Buffett higher tax call strikes a nerve

4

Stock futures off on German GDP data|

15 Aug 2011

"Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling,

15 Aug 2011

Administration (NTIA).

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin

8:53am EDT

5

Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information

Google's Motorola bet to reshape Asian phone makers 8:37am EDT

construction.

The Round 2 project is three-times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina. Sixty-nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of

DISCUSSED

202

"underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

Appeals court rules against Obama healthcare law

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF

167

Stop coddling the super-rich: Buffett

Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching

106

Most Americans believe U.S. on wrong track: Reuters/Ipsos poll

funds for the Round 1 project. This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with privatesector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

WATCHED Taking off for Russia's airshow.

Sat, Aug 13 2011

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these

Breakingviews: Motorola a win for Google, concern for others

sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN.

Mon, Aug 15 2011

library searching to find a job."

Defiance and doubts in Tripoli

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber-optic

Mon, Aug 15 2011

It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local

cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

About MCNC MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K-20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration among North Carolina's education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non-profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12

Login or register

Latest from My Topics

school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina.

8/16/2011 9:14 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative | Reuters

3 of 4

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/12/idUS184761+12-Aug-2011...

MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems. In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user-community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non-Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobaccodependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, $8 million from the MCNC Endowment, $4 million from private-sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are -part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e-NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private-sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources For more information regarding all of MCNC's BTOP activities, visit MCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.

You also can follow the progress of the GLRBI at www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI. Questions? Please see our FAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, or contact us for more details.

Editorial Contact: Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 or press@mcnc.org Keywords and Tags MCNC, NCREN, BTOP, ARRA, NTIA, Golden LEAF, GLRBI, distance learning, community anchor institutions, North Carolina, NC, RTP, Research Triangle Park, education, telehealth, telecom, broadband, Internet, web, NC events SOURCE MCNC

Videos you may like:

by Taboola

New face of U.S. woman mauled by chimp Thu, Aug 11 2011

Sponsored links

Don’t Be Shy. Try Forex.

Get to know GFT. Check it out our Risk Free Practice Account. www.GFTforex.com

Shark gets taste of its own medicine

Dan Ryan Builders Homes

New Single Family, Townhome Find Your Dream Home Today www.DanRyanBuilders.com

Wed, Jul 20 2011

Gold Maple Leaf - APMEXÂŽ

Medal of Honor recipient felt "like a failure" Mon, Aug 15 2011

Buy Gold Maple Leaf Online 24/7! Low Prices on all Gold Maple Leaf. www.APMEX.com/GoldMapleLeaf

Comments (0) This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.

Ads by Marchex

Login or register

Latest from My Topics

8/16/2011 9:14 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative | Reuters

4 of 4

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/12/idUS184761+12-Aug-2011...

Fidelity Online Trading $7.95 on online trades. Plus trade 25 iShares ETFs online for free. www.Fidelity.com

Morningstar beats the S&P since 2001 Morningstar Stock Investor Newsletter: Starter subscription is $14.95 – 50% Off. www.morningstar.com/stockinvesting

Planning for Retirement? $500,000 portfolio? Download the guide by Forbes Columnist Ken Fisher's firm. www.FisherInvestments.com

ELD Emerging Fixed Income Exposure to Emerging World w/ Local Currency Debt in 1 ETF - Learn More www.WisdomTree.com

Login or register

Latest from My Topics

8/16/2011 9:14 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative | SY...

1 of 4

http://www.sys-con.com/node/1943693

Jump to a SYS-CON Magazine

The i-Technology Media!

Register | Log in

.NET · AJAX · CLOUD · ECLIPSE · FLEX · OPEN WEB · iPHONE · JAVA · LINUX · OPEN SOURCE · ORACLE · PBDJ · SEARCH · SILVERLIGHT · SOA · VIRTUALIZATION · WEB 2.0 · WIRELESS · XML

COMMENTS

TOP THREE LINKS YOU MUST CLICK ON

Is Cloud Computing for Real?

By Jill Tummler Singer

Elad Israeli wrote: I can relate to many points you list here. I come from the business intelligence space, where the Cloud and SaaS are way overly hyped mainly due to some startups in the space. http://tinyurl.com/saas-bi Jun. 20, 2011 08:48 AM EDT read more & respond » Cloud Expo on Google News

From the Wires

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative By: PR Newswire Aug. 12, 2011 12:00 PM

Adobe Transforming the User Experience Azul JavaOne Interviews With Azul Backbase AJAX Best

Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations

Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswireUSNewswire/ -- MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI. "Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

SYS-CON FEATURED WHITEPAPERS Ensuring Good Evidential Quality of Email 10 Ways to Reduce your Email Costs The Need for Email Management Solutions Extended Validation – the New Standard in SSL

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

The Round 2 project is three-times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina. Sixty-nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project. This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with private-sector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

CLOUD EXPO & VIRTUALIZATION 2011 EAST DIAMOND SPONSOR:

Dell Dell & VMware Deliver the Enterprise Hybrid Cloud PLATINUM PLUS SPONSORS:

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

ADS BY GOOGLE Pell Grants For Adults www.ClassesandCareers.com/Colleges You May Qualify for Grants to Earn Your Degree Online. Start Today!

Best Philanthropy Service www.BestPhilanthropy.com BPS manages foundation details You focus on the big picture Top 2011 Online Schools www.ClassesUSA.com Grant Funding May Be Available Go Back To School!

Grants for Women EducationConnection.com/Grants You May Qualify for Grants to Earn a Degree Online. Search Schools.

Donations Non Profit www.Facebook.com/Toyota Your votes will help 100 deserving charities win cars. Vote now!

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

About MCNC MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K-20 education

8/16/2011 9:15 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative | SY...

2 of 4

Abiquo Are Financial Services Organizations Risking Security by Avoiding Cloud Computing?

Oracle From Consolidation to Enterprise Private PaaS PLATINUM SPONSORS:

Intel Driving the Transformation to Next Generation Cloud Data Centers

Rackspace The Inevitability of an Open Cloud GOLD SPONSORS:

CA Technologies Follow YOUR path to Cloud Computing

Interxion Who Keeps the Cloud in the Air?

Microsoft Patterns for Cloud Computing

PerspecSys War in the Clouds: Are you ready?

ServiceMesh The Big Win: Stop Playing Small-Ball with Your Cloud Strategy

Terremark Evaluating Enterprise Clouds

Xiotech Cloud Storage: Myths and Realities POWER PANELS: Cloud Expo New York: CTO Power Panel Cloud Expo New York: CEO Power Panel Cloud Expo New York: CMO Power Panel Cloud Expo New York: Wrap-Up Power Panel Click For 2010 West Event Webcasts

http://www.sys-con.com/node/1943693

community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration among North Carolina's education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non-profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems. In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user-community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non-Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, $8 million from the MCNC Endowment, $4 million from privatesector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are -part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e-NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private-sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources For more information regarding all of MCNC's BTOP activities, visit MCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.

You also can follow the progress of the GLRBI at www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI. Questions? Please see our FAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, or contact us for more details.

Editorial Contact: Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 or press@mcnc.org

BREAKING JAVA NEWS CNSG Extends Partnership with MegaPath to Deliver Single-Source Voice, Data and Security Services to Thousands of Customers Nationwide FirstMerit Bank Sees Strong Adoption Following Launch of Mobile Money from Fiserv TransferTo and PortaOne Give New Advantage to Service Providers: Remote Worldwide Mobile Phone Top-Ups Caduceus Software Systems Inc., Provides General Facts and Premise for Its Caduceus MMS Software.

Target Expands Electronics Trade-in Service in Time for Back-to-School Savings GEC Announces $1.5 Million Funding for Company Projects Revionics Customer Forum to Focus on Maximizing Pricing Performance Templeton Releases Closed-End Fund's Portfolio Allocation Update

Keywords and Tags MCNC, NCREN, BTOP, ARRA, NTIA, Golden LEAF, GLRBI, distance learning, community anchor institutions, North Carolina, NC, RTP, Research Triangle Park, education, telehealth, telecom, broadband, Internet, web, NC events SOURCE MCNC Published Aug. 12, 2011 Copyright © 2011 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.

Syndicated stories and blog feeds, all rights reserved by the author.

ExactTarget Conversation Series Presents Acclaimed Social Media Speaker, Author Jay Baer on Thursday, August 18th FoodLink® Introduces Open EDI in Summer Release

About PR Newswire Copyright © 2007 PR Newswire. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PRNewswire content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of PRNewswire.

PRNewswire shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL NEWSLETTERS

CLOUD EXPO & VIRTUALIZATION 2010 WEST DIAMOND SPONSOR:

8/16/2011 9:15 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative | SY...

3 of 4

Oracle Roadmap to Enterprise Cloud Computing

http://www.sys-con.com/node/1943693

Receive Breaking i-Technology News as it Happens...

AJAX

Virtualization

CRM

Java

Web 2.0

HP

Cloud Computing

ColdFusion

Oracle

Open Source

PowerBuilder

Red Hat

.NET

XML

Perl

Flex

Eclipse

Python

Video

Open Web

Ruby on Rails

iPhone

Apache

SAP

Adaptivity

Silverlight

CMS

SaaS

The Enterprise Cloud Lifecycle

SOA/Web Services

PLATINUM PLUS SPONSORS:

Abiquo Next Generation Cloud Management - Introducing the Virtual Enterprise

Microsoft The Move is On: Cloud Strategies for Businesses PLATINUM SPONSORS:

Red Hat Unlocking the Value of the Cloud Today

SAP The Journey to On Demand Lessons Learned from Small, High-Growth Customers

Unisys What if You Could Transform IT Your Way, Using Cloud 2.0?

GOLD SPONSORS:

Your E-Mail:

State:

Zip Code:

Your Job Title: (Please Select One)

CTO, CIO, Vice President, Chief Architect Software Development Director / Manager / Evangelist Information Technology Director / Manager Project Manager / Project Leader / Group Leader Software Architect / Systems Analyst Applications Programmer / Engineer Database Administrator / Programmer Software Developer / Systems Integrator / Consultant Web Programmer CEO / COO / President / Chairman / Owner / Partner Vice President / Director / Manager of Marketing Sales

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEEDS & GET YOUR SYS-CON NEWS LIVE!

CA Technologies Changing the Game: How to Get a Cloud Service Up and Running in Less Than 30 Days

Click to Add our RSS Feeds to the Service of Your Choice:

Cisco Cisco Cloud Strategy, Within and Across Data Centers

View Additional SYS-CON Feeds Publish Your Article! Please send it to editorial(at)sys-con.com!

Compuware

Advertise on this site! Contact advertising(at)sys-con.com! 201 802-3021

Borderless Applications: The Future of Performance in the Cloud

Cordys The Business Value of the Cloud

Intel Next Cloud on the Horizon: Exascale to Microservers

Navisite Cloud Computing – Extending Your IT Infrastructure

Quest Software The Private Cloud in Practice: Case Studies & Proven Strategies

Rackspace Hosting OpenStack for the Enterprise

SoftLayer It's All Cloud: Blurring the Line Between Dedicated and Cloud Service

Terremark Parting the Clouds Evaluating Clouds and Cloud Providers for the Enterprise

VMware An Evolutionary Path to Cloud Computing - VMware's Private, Public, and Hybrid Cloud Solutions POWER PANELS: Business Value of the Cloud Where's the Cloud Going?

Click For 2009 Event Webcasts

8/16/2011 9:15 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative | SY...

4 of 4

http://www.sys-con.com/node/1943693

Live Google News by SYS-CON!

ADVERTISE |

MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS |

|

FREE BREAKING-NEWSLETTERS!

|

SYS-CON.TV |

BLOG-N-PLAY!

|

WEBCAST |

EDUCATION |

RESEARCH

.NET Developer's Journal - .NETDJ ColdFusion Developer's Journal - CFDJ Eclipse Developer's Journal - EDJ | Enterprise Open Source Magazine - EOS Open Web Developer's Journal - OPENWEB | iPhone Developer's Journal - iPHONE | Virtualization - Virtualization | Java Developer's Journal - JDJ | Linux.SYS-CON.com PowerBuilder Developer's Journal - PBDJ | SEO / SEM Journal - SJ | SOAWorld Magazine - SOAWM | IT Solutions Guide - ITSG | Symbian Developer's Journal - SDJ WebLogic Developer's Journal - WLDJ | WebSphere Journal - WJ | Wireless Business & Technology - WBT | XML-Journal - XMLJ | Internet Video - iTV Flex Developer's Journal - Flex | AJAXWorld Magazine - AWM | Silverlight Developer's Journal - SLDJ | PHP.SYS-CON.com | Web 2.0 Journal - WEB2 Apache | CMS | CRM | HP | Oracle Journal | Perl | Python | Red Hat | Ruby on Rails | SAP | SaaS

SYS-CON EVENTS:

|

SYS-CON MEDIA: ABOUT US | CONTACT US | COMPANY NEWS | CAREERS | SITE MAP | AJAXWorld Conference & Expo | iPhone Developer Summit | Cloud Computing Conference & Expo | SOA World Conference & Expo | Virtualization Conference & Expo INTERNATIONAL SITES: India | U.K. | Canada | Germany | France | Australia | Italy | Spain | Netherlands | Brazil | Belgium Terms of Use & Our Privacy Statement

About Newsfeeds / Video Feeds

Copyright Š1994-2008 SYS-CON Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All marks are trademarks of SYS-CON Media.

Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of SYS-CON Publications, Inc. is prohibited.

8/16/2011 9:15 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative

1 of 2

THIS IS A SERVICE OF

http://tech.einnews.com/pr-news/504939-mcnc-begins-round-2-of-golden...

A DIGITAL NEWS PROVIDER

Tuesday August 16, 2011

Home News by Topic News by Country

PRESSWIRE

Editor's Picks Submit news

Enter your search here.

OK

About

Services

Publications Submit News Contact

Share |

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative PR Newswire Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI. "Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

The Round 2 project is three-times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina. Sixty-nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project. This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with private-sector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

Get $75 Free Advertising

Pictures of the Day

Promote Your Business On Google. Claim Your $75 Coupon Now! www.Google.com/AdWords

kitguru.net: Dell Kill 5 Inch Streak: Dell Streak 7 Any Better?

Dell Inc. News

ITT Technical Institute

metro.co.uk: Google Buys Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion

Online Degrees Offered Request a Brochure! www2.itt-tech.edu/Info

Google News rttnews.com: Nvidia's Outlook

EVENTS & CONFERENCES

get listed

see all

CIO Latin America, 16-18th August, 2011, The Four Season, Miami, United States, The role of today’s chief information officer is changing. IT touches every aspect of the 21st century organisation, from improv... [read more]

PRESSWIRE

submit press release

Silicon Desert Map Profiles Arizona's Growing High-Tech Region [16 Aug 2011] PR Newswire M5 Networks Chief Revenue Officer Keith Nealon Debuts New Channel Partner Sales Initiatives [16 Aug 2011] PR Newswire AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems and AME Unmanned Systems Form Strategic Alliance [16 Aug 2011] PR Newswire Ingenico Welcomes the Migration and Adoption of EMV in the United States [16 Aug 2011] Marketwire Recent Corporate Data Breaches Could Have Been Prevented, According to New Report From Protegrity [16 Aug 2011] Marketwire LightPath Technologies Announces Preliminary Fourth Quarter Results [16 Aug 2011] Marketwire Ener1 Announces Intention to Restate Financial Results [16 Aug 2011] PR Newswire TVtextbook Names Caleb M. Schutz President and CEO [16 Aug 2011] PR Newswire Virginia Printer Secures GSA, Expands Just In Time Web-To-Print Services [16 Aug 2011] PR Newswire Energy Edge Technologies Corporation Expands to Accommodate Growing Energy Management Needs Across America [16 Aug 2011] PR Newswire see all technology press releases Âť Technology News - Editor's Picks

|

About MCNC

Google Buys Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion [15 Aug 2011 - 13:20]

MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K-20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration among North Carolina's education community.

For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

...Google: What It's Getting With Motorola [15 Aug 2011 - 13:20]

About NCREN Community

Samsung Appeals Against European Tablet Sales Ban [15 Aug 2011 - 13:33]

NCREN, operated by the non-profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems. In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user-community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non-Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

Preparing for the Real Costs of Cloud Computing [15 Aug 2011 - 13:37] Bing, Yahoo 'More Successful' Than Google Search? [15 Aug 2011 - 13:43] Apple iPhone Shipments to Hit 95 Million in 2011? [15 Aug 2011 - 13:27] Apple Warned Intel to Slash Power Consumption [15 Aug 2011 - 13:38] Google Chrome Beta Turns on Native Code Machine [15 Aug 2011 - 13:44] Microsoft's JavaScript Focus Is a Winner [15 Aug 2011 - 13:38] Tablets, Other Devices to Overshadow PCs by 2013 [15 Aug 2011 - 13:37] Smart Features, Slow Scans in Kaspersky 2012 [15 Aug 2011 - 13:27] Huawei Closes in on Ericsson, Sees Growth [15 Aug 2011 - 13:25] Dell Nixes Streak 5 in Bid for Larger Tablets [15 Aug 2011 - 13:42] HTC Holiday Phone Packs a 4.5-inch Display [15 Aug 2011 - 13:35] Spear-phishing Attacks Keep Hitting Gmail [15 Aug 2011 - 13:38] New Images Emerge of Apple Super-campus [15 Aug 2011 - 13:44] MORE ARTICLES

MARKETPLACE

get listed

see all

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master

tyntec - Mobile Interaction. When Quality Matters. tyntec is a global mobile interaction service provider, offering high-quality mobile messaging and information services to mobile

8/16/2011 9:15 AM

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative

2 of 2

THIS IS A SERVICE OF

http://tech.einnews.com/pr-news/504939-mcnc-begins-round-2-of-golden...

A DIGITAL NEWS PROVIDER

LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

Get Listed Here Make EIN Marketplace Part of Your Promotion Plan.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative

News, Media & Blog Directory Get your online news site listed in the most comprehensive media and news directory on the web

MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

World Economy News Keep up on the latest economic news from around the world as it happens

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, $8 million from the MCNC Endowment, $4 million from private-sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Wind Energy News Investors & industry professionals turn to Wind Energy Industry Today for all their news-monitoring needs

Both MCNC awards are -part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e-NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private-sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources For more information regarding all of MCNC's BTOP activities, visit MCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.

You also can follow the progress of the GLRBI at www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI. Questions? Please see our FAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, or contact us for more details.

Most Popular Articles

Spherical Speaker Manufacturer Anthony Gallo Acoustics to Debut Its First-Ever Wooden Box Loudspeakers at CES 2011 [29 Dec 2010 - 13:45] Google Buys Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion [15 Aug 2011 - 14:02] ServiceSource Announces PowerSOURCE, an Employee-Led Community Service Initiative [12 Aug 2011 - 16:45] Macedonian Student Drowns in Indian Ocean [11 Aug 2011 - 15:51] Forty-three Percent of Women Prefer to Buy Brands That Make a Donation With Every Purchase [29 Jul 2011 - 17:58] Most Popular EIN News Publications

World News Report

get free trial

IPO News Today

get free trial

Technology Today

get free trial

Electric Power News Today

get free trial

Agriculture Industry Today Editorial Contact: Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 or press@mcnc.org

get free trial see all publications Âť

EIN News Columnists

Keywords and Tags MCNC, NCREN, BTOP, ARRA, NTIA, Golden LEAF, GLRBI, distance learning, community anchor institutions, North Carolina, NC, RTP, Research Triangle Park, education, telehealth, telecom, broadband, Internet, web, NC events

Montana Governor Schweitzer for President in 2016? (Or Maybe 2012?)

(Joe Rothstein's Commentary) [13 Aug 2011 - 18:52] Standard And Poor's Downgrade, And Other Mysteries and Idiocies (Joe Rothstein's Commentary) [06 Aug 2011 - 18:47]

SOURCE MCNC

Of Soap Boxes And Soap Box Derbies (Joe Rothstein's Commentary) [28 Jul 2011 - 01:25]

Copyright 2011 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved MORE ARTICLES

Take This Poll

Do you agree with Standard & Poor's decision to downgrade the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+? (Aug. 8, 2011) Yes. No. Don't know.

Technology Today Technology News Sections Technology News by Region Technology News by Country Technology News by U.S. State

Š 1995 - 2011 IPD Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | User Agreement | Privacy Policy | Contact

8/16/2011 9:15 AM

MCNC begins second phase rollout of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Init... http://www.lightwaveonline.com/fttx/news/MCNC-begins-second-phase-r...

1 of 3

Subscribe:

Newsletters

Magazine

Advanced Search

Trusted technical insights for optical communications professionals worldwide HOME

FTTX

TEST & MEASUREMENT

EQUIPMENT DESIGN

CABLE/MSO

Log In

NETWORKING

Register

BUSINESS

EDUCATION

ABOUT US

8/16/2011 8:58 AM

MCNC begins second phase rollout of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Init... http://www.lightwaveonline.com/fttx/news/MCNC-begins-second-phase-r...

2 of 3

Home > FTTX > FTTX News

Text Size

RSS Feed

email this

print this

save this

MCNC begins second phase rollout of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative in North Carolina

Request more information from Corning FTTx Network Product Ordering Guide Interactive FTTx Deployments Preterminated Distribution Systems MDU Design Guide View: How to Speed Connections

by Lightwave Staff August 12, 2011 Round 2 of construction for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI) in North Carolina began today with a virtual groundbreaking ceremony held in four locations. MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) that oversees the projected, hosted the ceremonies the marked the latest phase of the broadband stimulus project.

The GLRBI aims to improve the reach and capacity of the NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina. The project received two rounds of funding from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), matched with funds from private donations and investments.

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. The Round 2 project is 3X the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Round 2 includes 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina. Sixty-nine of these counties include areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations, including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

MCNC has awarded contracts for the Round 2 project to CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation; and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

Fiber to the Antenna and Cell Site Fiber Optic Training Classes Flexible Network Designs

Additional Content FTTX Test & Measurement

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

The high-definition virtual groundbreaking simulcast was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. Among the benefits of the GLRBI will be an improvement of such video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN users.

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Equipment Design MSO Optics Networking Business Education About Us

Lightwave Issue Archives Subscribe to Lightwave Video Blog White Papers Webcasts Industry Events

You might also be interested in these articles:

Rate this article:

Verizon: Number of strike sabotage acts exceeds 90

Average rating:

Verizon alleges sabotage while strike goes on Yenista Optics adds variable backreflector module to OSICS test platform Telecom Egypt adds 40-Gbps service to TE North Mediterranean undersea cable system P&T Luxembourg readies September launch for LuxFibre FTTH Internet access Text Size

email this

print this

save this

Add a Comment You must be logged in to comment.

Login | Register

0 User Comments Receive free newsletters from Lightwave denotes required field

You may select more than one newsletter

Lightwave Direct LW Direct Test & Measurement Lightwave Direct FTTX LW Direct Equipment Design Lightwave Direct MSO Optics Lightwave Direct Networking

Name E-Mail Country

United States United Kingdom -----------Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra

8/16/2011 8:58 AM

MCNC begins second phase rollout of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Init... http://www.lightwaveonline.com/fttx/news/MCNC-begins-second-phase-r...

3 of 3

Home | FTTX | Test & Measurement | Equipment Design | MSO Optics | Networking | Business | Education | Advertise | Events Contact Us | Subscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | About Us | Site Map | Webmaster

Copyright Š 2011: PennWell Corporation

8/16/2011 8:58 AM

MCNC breaks ground for second round of state network expansion :: Edito...

1 of 1

http://wraltechwire.com/business/tech_wire/news/blogpost/9991980/

Posted Aug. 12, 2011 at 1:13 p.m.

MCNC's NCREN plan Image 1 of 2 · Next Image…

By WRAL Tech Wire KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – With the N.C. Research Campus serving as a backdrop, executives from MCNC kicked off the second stage of construction for the statewide expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network on Friday.

The $140 million-plus project, which will add some 1,200 miles of fiber capacity to the NCREN backbone, is set to be completed in 2013.

Much of the funding is coming from the federal government, but MCNC is also contributing funds from its financial resources and the N.C. economic development group Golden LEAF has committed $24 million to the second phase.

MCNC also hosted groundbreaking ceremonies at three other locations through a high definition simulcast.

“MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina’s highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC, in a statement. “Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event.

The expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job.”

Get the latest news alerts: Follow WRAL Tech Wire at Twitter.

Copyright 2011 WRAL Tech Wire. All rights reserved.

Tags: N.C. Research Campus, Broadband, MCNC

Editor's Blog The latest blog posts from our WRAL Tech Wire and WRAL editors.

8/12/2011 4:39 PM

MCNC Groundbreaking Highlights Ambitious Broadband Stimulus Project...

1 of 4

http://www.telecompetitor.com/mcnc-groundbreaking-highlights-ambitiou...

Providing insight, analysis, and commentary on the evolving telecom competitive landscape

Home Telecompetitors Companies Market Trends Events/Webinars Advertise About Us

X Thank you for visiting. We offer insight and analysis into the evolving telecom landscape. Don't miss any of our content. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, follow us on Twitter, or get our RSS feed. Thanks for your interest. +

8/15/11 at 1:07 PM by Joan Engebretson

Many broadband stimulus winners have held groundbreaking ceremonies to launch their projects, but few have been as elaborate as the Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony put on by Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC) on Friday.

The MCNC ceremony was hosted in four locations throughout the state using a high-definition simulcast that leveraged existing video capabilities of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) operated

by MCNC. The event celebrated the construction start for an expansion of the NCREN that is funded, in part, through a $75.75 million award made in the second round of the broadband stimulus program. MCNC also won a $28.1 million award in the first round of the program to expand NCREN in other areas of the state.

“Today we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event,” said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC, in an announcement of the ground-breaking ceremony. When completed, he said the network expansion “will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job.”

MCNC is calling the NCREN expansion project the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLBRI) because another $24 million of its funding came from the Golden LEAF Foundation, a non-profit economic development organization. The foundation is funded, in part from a 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and rural communities across the state.

According to a fact booklet posted on the MCNC site, the total cost of the GLBRI will be $144 million, with an

8/16/2011 8:54 AM

MCNC Groundbreaking Highlights Ambitious Broadband Stimulus Project...

2 of 4

http://www.telecompetitor.com/mcnc-groundbreaking-highlights-ambitiou...

additional $8 million coming from an MCNC endowment; $4 million from a communications service provider, which apparently plans to use the expanded network; and $4 million in donations of land and conduit from colleges, universities and the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corp.

The GLBRI project will reach many rural counties in North Carolina and is expected to create or save 2500 engineering, construction and manufacturing jobs in North Carolina. When completed it is expected to serve 1500 anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses and 300,000 underserved households.

The GLBRI network appears quite similar to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative network —a Virginia network that was also built, in part, using funding from a settlement with tobacco companies and which is also being expanded thanks to a broadband stimulus award. The mid-Atlantic broadband network has helped bring jobs to rural Virginia and it would appear that the GLBRI network has the potential to achieve similar results.

Like this post? Sign up for our Newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or RSS. Categories: Broadband | Broadband Stimulus | BTOP Share: Login

There are no comments posted yet. Be the first one!

Enter text right here!

Comment as a Guest, or login: Name

Email

Website (optional)

Displayed next to your comments.

Not displayed publicly.

If you have a website, link to it here.

Subscribe to

Submit Comment

RSS FeedNewsletterFacebookLinkedInTwitter

Latest Posts Latest Comments Recent Posts Google Plans Motorola Mobility Acquisition Avail-TVN Aggressively Pursues ViP-TV Customers MCNC Groundbreaking Highlights Ambitious Broadband Stimulus Project

8/16/2011 8:54 AM

MCNC Groundbreaking Highlights Ambitious Broadband Stimulus Project...

3 of 4

http://www.telecompetitor.com/mcnc-groundbreaking-highlights-ambitiou...

Consolidated Picks Cisco for Carrier Ethernet Time Warner Cable to Acquire Insight Communications Most Popular Most Comments Most Popular Echostar to Shut Down ViP-TV Does USF Reform Put RUS Loans at Risk of Default? magicJack Case Fueling More VoIP Access Charge Disputes Verizon Strike Illustrates Vulnerability of Wireline Business FCC Chairman Pushes Broadband, Call Center Opportunity News Feed Competitive Watch Newsfeed AT&T: Alabama Leads Nation in Copper Theft CenturyLink: No Plans to Buy Sprint for Now Sprint Reverses Decision, Won't Carry 4G Version of RIM PlayBook Tablet S.F. Subway System BART Shuts Down Cell Service During Protest FCC announces plan to update 911 to receive texts, video Metaswitch Gets 'Best New Idea' Nod From CableLabs The 10 Most Bizarre and Annoying Causes of Fiber Cuts Windstream-PAETEC Deal Faces Investor Scrutiny 20 Years Ago Today: The First Website Is Published End of road for Starbucks laptop loungers?

Smartphones, the cigarettes of the next century?

Contact Us Privacy Terms of Use

8/16/2011 8:54 AM

MCNC Groundbreaking Highlights Ambitious Broadband Stimulus Project...

4 of 4

http://www.telecompetitor.com/mcnc-groundbreaking-highlights-ambitiou...

All images, brands, company, and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Š 2011 Pivot Media LLC Pivot Media LLC Blog-Powered Website By ContentRobot

8/16/2011 8:54 AM

MCNC Spreads Broadband to Rural Areas — North Carolina Public Rad...

1 of 1

http://wunc.org/programs/news/archive/Sli081211_Broadband.mp3/view

WUNC MCNC Spreads Broadband to Rural Areas Friday, August 12 2011 by Leoneda Inge Like

Sign Up to see what your friends like.

Eric Hodge: Federal and state leaders are celebrating the second phase of a major broadband initiative across North Carolina. Leoneda Inge reports.

Leoneda Inge: Today’s virtual ground-breaking will take place in four corners of the state – including the Elizabeth City State University campus and the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. Joe Freddoso is president and C-E-O of M-C-N-C. He says the independent, non-profit has been funded to build more than15-hundred miles of broadband infrastructure – statewide.

Joe Freddoso: The institutions that we were serving, those k-12 school districts and the universities that are not in a metro area and the community colleges that are in our rural counties, their band width demand was growing by 30 to 40-percent per year and we started to run into capacity issues.

More than 100-million-dollars in stimulus money, millions from the Golden Leaf Broadband Initiative and others helped make the project possible. Leoneda Inge – NC Public Radio – WUNC.

8/12/2011 4:41 PM

MCNC starts round 2 of NCREN rural broadband buildout - FierceTelecom

1 of 3

http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/mcnc-starts-round-2-ncren-rural-bro...

Free Telecom Daily Newsletter Get the latest news on Telcos, Next Generation Networks, Advertise | Contact Broadband, and other critical service provider topics sent straight to your Inbox. Join over 40,000 telecom professionals who subscribe to FierceTelecom for FREE!

Enter email

Sign me up

We never sell or give away your contact information. Our reader's trust comes first.

FEATURES >> Reforming USF | Wireline in Q2 |

Follow us on Twitter

Related Topics >> broadband stimulus | rural broadband | NTIA | MCNC | Network Construction | Golden

August 15, 2011 — 7:55am ET | By Dan O'Shea 0

Like

MCNC, the not-for-profit rural network operator behind the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), has officially started round 2 of its Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The round 2 construction will cost about $104 million, with more than $75 million of the cost being supplied by an NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) Groundbreaking ceremonies

broadband stimulus grant the

for round 2 of the MCNC's

operator was awarded one year

GLRBI were held in four

ago this month. The rest is being

Your e-mail address

locations around North

covered by more than $28 million

Sign Up For FierceTelecom

Carolina. (Image source:

in private donations, about $24

MCNC)

million of which came from the

Sign up for our FREE newsletter for more news like this sent to your inbox!

Golden LEAF Foundation, a group that receives about half of North Carolina's windfall from the cigarette industry court

settlement. One of the aspects that has made the NCREN network popular, as well as a model for rural broadband expansion, is that North Carolina did not have to use or raise state taxes to back the project. Network construction is due to finish by 2013.

The second phase is three times the physical size of the first

Free newsletter via e-mail

RELATED STORIES

RUS eliminates bill of materials certification requirement for vendors NTIA unveils national broadband map Corning to fund Western New York Middle Mile network project Mass Broadband Institute starts to flow $5 million funds to Open Cape initiative TOOLS

phase of the project, with round 2 construction involving 1,200

Subscribe

miles of broadband infrastructure in 79 counties in North

Email

Carolina. MCNC said that 69 of the 79 counties include areas that

Print

have been classified as "underserved" by broadband.

Contact Author Reprint

Vendors benefiting from the round 2 spending, which dwarfs the $40 million spent on round 1 of the project, include CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation; and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services. MCNC also has argued that the project will create or save 2,500 state technology-related jobs.

8/15/2011 10:40 AM

MCNC starts round 2 of NCREN rural broadband buildout - FierceTelecom

2 of 3

http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/mcnc-starts-round-2-ncren-rural-bro...

During last week's groundbreaking for round 2 of the project, MCNC actually demonstrated some of the current capabilities of the NCREN network by linking four research sites around the state--Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke--for an HD video simulcast event.

For more: - see this story at N.C.'s Concord Independent Tribune - and the news release Related articles: MCNC first won broadband stimulus funding in January 2010 Broadband stimulus projects in West Virginia have not fared so well Some NCREN vendors have been involved on other parts of the project

SHARE WITH:

Get Your FREE FierceTelecom Email Newsletter: Enter email

Sign Me Up!

MORE STORIES ABOUT rural broadband broadband stimulus

NTIA

MCNC

Network Construction

Golden LEAF Rural Brodband Initiative

Like

Add New Comment

Login

Real-time updating is paused. (Resume)

Showing 0 comments

Sort by popular now

M Subscribe by email S RSS SPONSORED LINKS

INPUT Federal Telecom Report FY 2010-15 Maximize Your Business’ Understanding of Technology in the Communications Market VIPRE Server Anti Virus High Performance Server Protection - $10 per Seat Sale. Download Free Trial!

Rosetta Stone: New Mobile App for iPad Get Full Access AND the Complete 1-5 Level Set for just $479 plus FREE Shipping!

Run Better with SAP Gain an Advantage with SAP Business Intelligence and Software Solutions.

Buy a Link Now

Home | Subscribe | Advertise | Mobile Edition | RSS | Privacy | Site Map | Editors | List in Marketplace | Supplier in Marketplace THE FIERCEMARKETS NETWORK FierceEnergy | FierceSmartGrid | FierceFinance | FierceFinanceIT | FierceComplianceIT

8/15/2011 10:40 AM

MCNC starts round 2 of NCREN rural broadband buildout - FierceTelecom

3 of 3

http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/mcnc-starts-round-2-ncren-rural-bro...

| FierceHealthcare | FierceHealthFinance | FierceHealthIT | Hospital Impact | FierceMobileHealthcare | FierceHealthPayer | FiercePracticeManagement | FierceEMR | FierceCIO | FierceCIO:TechWatch | FierceContentManagement | FierceMobileIT | FierceGovernmentIT | FierceGovernment | FierceHomelandSecurity | FierceBiotech | FierceBiotech Research | FiercePharma | FierceVaccines | FierceBiotechIT | FiercePharma Manufacturing | FierceMedicalDevices | FierceDrugDelivery | FierceIPTV | FierceOnlineVideo | FierceTelecom | FierceEnterpriseCommunications | FierceBroadbandWireless | FierceDeveloper | FierceMobileContent | FierceWireless | FierceWireless:Europe | FierceCable Š 2011 FierceMarkets. All rights reserved.

8/15/2011 10:40 AM

More high-speed internet for rural NC residents | WCNC.com Charlotte

1 of 1

http://www.wcnc.com/news/regional/More-high-speed-internet-for-rural...

by NewsChannel 36 Staff Posted on August 12, 2011 at 11:57 AM Updated Friday, Aug 12 at 12:47 PM

Recommend

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Folks who live in some of the rural parts of the state may be one step closer to having high-speed internet access.

There was a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning for MCNC. Senator Kay Hagan was on hand for the event at the North Carolina research campus.

Three other groundbreakings for the company are also happening across the state Friday.

8/16/2011 8:50 AM

NCTechNews -- North Carolina's Technology News Source

1 of 7

http://nctechnews.com/2011/08/23/networks/mcnc-seeking-contractors/5783/

Angie's List Local Rating Read Local Ratings & Reviews. Find Contractors in Your Area! www.AngiesList.com/ContractorReview

For advertising details email info [at] nctechnews [dot] com

Home Mobile Feed About NCTechNews Innovation Resources Guide Submit Your News Item

August 23, 2011 By: NCTechNews Category: Networks (Research Triangle Park, N.C.) MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), announced today that it has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) from qualified contractors to attach new NCDOT-approved conduit and fiber cable along five North Carolina bridges included on the project route for the second phase of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI) awarded through the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

This RFP is designated for bridges in northeast North Carolina to include: Virginia Dare Bridge (U.S. 64 Bypass over Croatan Sound); U.S. 17 over Chowan River; U.S. 94 over Intracoastal Waterway; Washington Baum Bridge (U.S. 64 Bypass over Roanoke Sound); and the Wright Memorial Bridge (U.S. 158 over Currituck Sound).

Respondents may submit proposals for one or all of the bridges. At MCNC’s sole discretion, each bridge may be awarded separately or not at all. MCNC has applied for encroachment permits from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to allow for the installation of conduit on all of the bridges included on the project route. Receipt of approved encroachment permits is anticipated prior to the selection of a contractor.

Proposals will be accepted in electronic format only. A direct link to this RFP is available online by clicking here. Proposals should be submitted to MCNC Chief Financial Officer Patricia Moody at pmoody@mcnc.org.

Vendors assume all risk of email delivery. The firm deadline for submission is Sept. 23 at 5 p.m. EST. Late proposals will not be accepted or reviewed.

All inquiries and questions related to this RFP must be directed in writing via email to MCNC’s BTOP RFP Review Committee at btop-notices-bridge@mcnc.org. To maintain fairness to all bidders, any attempts to contact MCNC staff regarding this RFP outside of this specifically provided email vehicle will be grounds for MCNC to reject a submission. All questions will be considered to be public and released with appropriate answers to https://www.mcnc.org/btop/btop2-rfp/bridge-questions within 48 business hours of receipt. The last date for questions will be 4 p.m. EST on Friday, Sept. 16.

Interested parties also can register to view the RFP and other relevant information at www.mcnc.org/btop.

The GLRBI must be completed in accordance to federal guidelines. To keep from impacting the citizens and tourism in these regions, it is expected that no work for this portion of the project begin prior to Oct. 15, 2011, with all work required to be complete by April 1, 2012.

All construction for both Round 1 and Round 2 portions of the GLRBI must be finished by Jan. 31, 2013 to allow MCNC time to equip and place the fiber optic into service on or before July 31, 2013.

The vendor(s) selected for this RFP will join all of the following firms for Round 2: Globe Communications, Fiber Technologies, Edwards Telecommunications, CommScope, and Kimley-Horn and Associates.

MCNC reserves the right to modify any information presented in this RFP as information becomes available.

About MCNC

8/23/2011 6:59 AM

NCTechNews -- North Carolina's Technology News Source

2 of 7

http://nctechnews.com/2011/08/23/networks/mcnc-seeking-contractors/5783/

MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina’s K-20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research and collaboration among North Carolina’s education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non-profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation’s first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems.

In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user-community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non-Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina’s economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina’s funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobaccodependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC’s sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, $8 million from the MCNC Endowment, $4 million from private-sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are -part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e-NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private-sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Comments are closed. ← Duke LifePoint Healthcare and Person Memorial Hospital Sign Definitive Agreement BioDelivery Sciences Announces Commercial Launch of ONSOLIS in Canada →

Parkway SleepHealth Centers recently hosted a “dinner and learn” for area physicians and their guests to review technological developments in sleep apnea, a potentially dangerous disorder occurs when breathing is interrupted during sleep, depriving an individual’s brain and body of much-needed oxygen.

8/23/2011 6:59 AM

NCTechNews -- North Carolina's Technology News Source

3 of 7

http://nctechnews.com/2011/08/23/networks/mcnc-seeking-contractors/5783/

Charlotte's Jackrabbit Technologies has surpassed a growth milestone in serving more than 2000 customers through its web-based solutions for youth activities centers that provide learning in the gymnastics, dance, cheer, music, martial arts and camp markets in addition to children’s care centers.

Innovation advocate Lea Strickland is upping the ante on new ideas and products by expanding her coverage of entrepreneurial issues in the major publications YoungEntrepreneurs.com, Portfolio.com, and TheStreet.com, drawing attention to up-and-coming inventors and their emerging companies.

States like Maryland, Oregon, and North Carolina invested big money into major pavilions on the exhibit floor at the 2011 BIO International Convention in Washington, D.C. recently; was all the time and effort worth it?

In the midst of trying economic times and calls for more job creation, North Carolina is looking outside its borders for help with financial management, human capital management, and content management for the NC Ports Authority, hiring Tyler Technologies, Inc. of Texas to a contract for professional services, maintenance and support.

NCTechNews - North Carolina's Technology News Source The Marketing Machine Selected to Lead Parkway SleepHealth Centers Re-Branding Efforts 8/23/2011 (Morrisville, N.C.) Parkway SleepHealth Centers, a Triangle leader in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders has named The… BioDelivery Sciences Announces Commercial Launch of ONSOLIS in Canada 8/23/2011 (Raleigh, N.C.) BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDSI) today announced that the commercial launch and availability of ONSOLIS (fentanyl…

MCNC Seeking Contractors 8/23/2011 (Research Triangle Park, N.C.) MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), announced…

8/23/2011 6:59 AM

NCTechNews -- North Carolina's Technology News Source

4 of 7

http://nctechnews.com/2011/08/23/networks/mcnc-seeking-contractors/5783/

HP getting out of computer biz? What's next, Coke getting out of soft drinks? http://t.co/s5MlOfC 3 days ago

follow me on Twitter

8/23/2011 6:59 AM

NCTechNews -- North Carolina's Technology News Source

5 of 7

http://nctechnews.com/2011/08/23/networks/mcnc-seeking-contractors/5783/

Logistician 4 ...

If you thrive on challenge and are motivated, ...

Charleston, SC Delivery Driv...

The Delivery Driver (NO CDL needed) will be responsible for th... north charleston IPS Program M...

Duties: This individual will be the primary technical liaison...

Charleston, SC

8/23/2011 6:59 AM

NCTechNews -- North Carolina's Technology News Source

6 of 7

http://nctechnews.com/2011/08/23/networks/mcnc-seeking-contractors/5783/

Top 2011 Online Grants Grant Funding May Be Available Go Back To School! www.ClassesUSA.com

Pell Grants For Moms Start School On Your Schedule. Moms May Qualify For Grants. Start Now! www.classesandcareers.com/pellgrant

mondotimes Find News Media Worldwide

Free Construction Bids Find Free Commercial Construction Leads in Your Area. Free Account! www.datafax.net

8/23/2011 6:59 AM

NCTechNews -- North Carolina's Technology News Source

7 of 7

http://nctechnews.com/2011/08/23/networks/mcnc-seeking-contractors/5783/

NCTechNews Š 2007 - 2011 All Rights Reserved. Using WordPress 2.7.1 Engine Entries and Comments.

8/23/2011 6:59 AM

The Daily Advance

1 of 2

http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/hagan-helps-kick-broadband-effort-...

Home News 5 Day Forecast Coast Guard Police Full State Forecast Weather Tonight 71° Tomorrow 87°/69° 100th anniversary Archives Communities

Hagan helps kick off broadband effort

By William F. West

Opinion Our Views Other Views Letters Viewing Photo 1 / 2 Sports Thomas J. Turney/The Daily Advance Senator Kay Hagan, D-N.C., speaks via teleconferencing to a roomful of people at Elizabeth City State University before the groundbreaking ceremony to start work on high speed internet lines to under-served rural areas of Lifestyles northeast North Carolina, Friday1.

RELATED STORIES

The Daily Advance Friday, August 12, 2011 0 Comments | Leave a Comment

Print

E-Mail

Reddit

More

Like

0

Emphasizing the importance of high-speed Internet for future generations of North Carolinians, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan and other state and local officials hailed an initiative Friday that will expandbroadband service into rural areas of the state.

Dear Reader, This content is only available to subscribers of The Daily Advance print and/or e-edition. If you are a current subscriber and have established a user name and password, you can log in.

If you have not established your user name and passwords, click here to set up your information.

To become a subscriber, click here.

Access All Content Free Archives Low Online Rates Daily E-edition

SLIDESHOWS

Area event calendars Grants to speed broadband growth Officials celebrate finish of ECSU pharmacy school

Albemarle Pets: Aug. 8-Aug. 14

Broadband group seeks last-mile providers Burr holds on to U.S. Senate seat Photos Obits Obama pledges focus on job creation Customer Service Educators tout promising landscape

Week in Photos: July 30-Aug. 5

High school football practice Hospice Regatta, Aug. 6, 2011 Ashton Shepherd concert, Aug. 5, 2011 221st Coast Guard Day: Aug. 4

Butterfield: Congress needs to OK jobs plan

Albemarle Pets: Aug. 1-Aug. 7

EC-Pasquotank Public Schools: RBC Bank honors Reed of Northeastern High

National Night Out Against Crime: Tuesday, Aug. 2 More Slideshows

Academic Achievement: Two ECSU students Classifieds inducted into Psi Chi Coupons Place a Classified Ad MORE Local Directory Homes Butterfield: Congress needs to OK jobs plan Jobs McLean calls another recess during B&G club discussion Autos Council renews pact with B&G Club Legals Bomb squad responds to suspicious package Camden to announce interim manager

TOP CARS

Swamp fire now largest-ever in refuge

CHEVY BLAZER S-10 '93. Body and motor in

0 Comments | Leave a Comment

FORD TAURUS '05. Only 47,000 miles.

NEXT STORY:

BUTTERFIELD: CONGRESS NEEDS TO OK JOBS PLAN

DODGE VAN 150 SPECIAL '84. Long wheel NISSAN SENTRA SE '06 Auto 67k Miles

ALSO OF INTEREST

NISSAN TITAN CREW CAB SE '05. 4x2, View More

TOP JOBS BECOME AN AVON REPRESENTATIVE! Only $10

Police probe shooting, car crash

EC’s Young back from Afghanistan

Bomb squad responds to suspicious package

Barker House to exhibit Native American artifacts

PART TIME DIETARY AIDE position.

AUTO MECHANIC. Exp. Mechanic needed ADMINISTRATIVE

Add comment

PASQUOTANK COUNTY WATER SYSTEM View More

Login or register to post comments MOST POPULAR STORIES

Sponsored Links

1. Swamp fire now largest-ever in refuge

Money Market Accts

2. Bomb squad responds to suspicious package

Find the best yields in the US Plus calcs, news, tips & more.

3. Visible from space: Great Dismal Swamp fire grows

www.bankrate.com

4. Wild pigs mean headaches across NC

daily advance

5. No contests in 2nd, 4th wards

Find daily advance, compare prices & save money now!

6. Expectations higher after title game

www.Best-Price.com/Advance Mortgage Rate at 2.37% Get the Best Mortgage Rates. Refinance & Lower Your Mortgage Payment!

DreamHomesNC

Mortgage.LeadSteps.com

DreamHomesNC

$79/HR Job - 476 Openings

DreamHomesNC Elizabeth City - 504 Meadstown Road: (MLS#61087 - Price: $85,000) Country home that has recently been repainted... http://bit.ly/r1SH0Z

Make $79/hr Working From Home. Requirements: Computer. As Seen On MSN.

www.selectonlinejobs.com/

10 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite

8/12/2011 10:31 PM

The Daily Advance

2 of 2

http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/hagan-helps-kick-broadband-effort-...

DreamHomesNC Hertford - 323 S Riverfront Drive: (MLS#59000 - Price: $249,000) BEAUTIFUL 3 BEDROOM, 2 BATH HOME ON BETHEL CRE... http://bit.ly/n8xYmZ yesterday · reply · retweet · favorite

DreamHomesNC Moyock - 129 Applewood Dr: (MLS#59660 - Price: $335,000) Why wait to build when you can have this gorgeous LIKE... http://bit.ly/ntgCk3 3 days ago · reply · retweet · favorite

DreamHomesNC Elizabeth City - 313 Orchard Drive: (MLS#61994 - Price: $470,000) The Weeksville area waterfront community is o... http://bit.ly/r7dXeT 4 days ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Join the conversation

NEWS

OPINION

OCCASIONS

CLASSIFIEDS

Coast Guard Police State Weather

Our Views Other Views Letters

Births Anniversaries Engagements Weddings

Homes Autos Jobs

SPORTS COMMUNITIES Camden Chowan Currituck Pasquotank Perquimans

COA ECSU High Schools

LIFESTYLES Columnists

SUBSCRIBE PHOTOS/VIDEOS OBITUARIES

The Daily Reflector The Daily Advance Rocky Mount Telegram

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Follow us

Copyright 2010 Elizabeth City Daily Advance. All rights reserved

Privacy Policy | User Agreement

8/12/2011 10:31 PM

The Laurinburg Exchange - Local Internet to get boost

1 of 3

home

news

local life

sports

opinion

calendar

http://www.laurinburgexchange.com/view/full_story/15070966/article-Lo...

tv listings

online features

classifieds

businesses

my content

subscription forms sign in

Local Internet to get boost

by John Charles Robbins Managing Editor 3 days ago | 2051 views | 0

|8

|

|

PEMBROKE — It’s about access. It’s about equity. It’s about jobs.

And it’s about the future.

A statewide rural broadband network took another step Friday in four locations, with politicians and local leaders brandishing shiny new shovels for groundbreaking ceremonies stretching from the mountains to the coast.

Weather Sponsored By:

The plan is to get the fastest, most reliable Internet access to everyone’s fingertips.

MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network, hosted the statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative. The high-definition simulcast was hosted at AshevilleBuncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre joined Robeson County academic and government leaders at UNCP’s share of the event, held at the Business Administration Building on campus.

Laurinburg, North Carolina Sunny. Mild.

67 Degrees F Humidity: 81% - Wind: Northwest, 4.59 mph Click for Detailed Forecast

The event was held to mark the start of construction on the $104 million second phase of the broadband initiative that includes $75.75 million in stimulus funds.

“Broadband benefits everyone. It is our railroad to the future,” McIntyre said.

More access to broadband will advance economic development and improve access to health care, the congressman said.

“Connecting people like this is so important,” McIntyre said. “Today we add another chapter, for job creation, business development and indeed a better way of life.”

The broadband initiative is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and matching funds from private donations and investments, including $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

“The world is getting smaller every day … (and) this is about leveling the playing field,” said Kenneth Kitts, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at UNCP. The ability to harness the free flow of “real-time” information — in education, business, health care and beyond — is vital, Kitts said.

Lottery Sponsored By:

“This is a defining moment for our state,” said U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, from the North Carolina Research Campus.

Access to broadband is just as important to a community’s success as having roads, sidewalks, water and sewer, she said.

There are too many rural areas that continue to struggle “without these 21st century tools,” Hagan said.

Hagan then itemized some of the goals that the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative will acheive when completed, including: — The proposed funded geographic area is comprised by 69 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, which encompass 32,597 square miles or 67 percent of the state’s total square miles.

— Total proposed broadband miles of 1,450 represents about 68 percent in underserved/unserved areas.

— Total number of potential households affected, about 2.3 million.

— There will be the potential to connect nearly 160,000 businesses and 1,700 K-12 schools.

The building of the broadband network is expected to employ about 2,500 people for a two-year period, said Hagan.

Stocks Sponsored By:

“It’s really about our shared future … and it’s going to make a huge difference,” Hagan said.

Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC, said: ““Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The … expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. … It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library

Indexes

Last

Change

Chg %

NASDAQ

2555.20

47.22

1.88%

8/16/2011 8:45 AM

The Laurinburg Exchange - Local Internet to get boost

2 of 3

http://www.laurinburgexchange.com/view/full_story/15070966/article-Lo...

searching to find a job.”

DJIA

11482.90

213.88

1.90%

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

NYSE

7481.55

177.67

2.43%

TSX Comp

12683.61

141.41

1.13%

Get Quote

For information, visit www.mcnc.org.

NYSE/AMEX data delayed 20 minutes. NASDAQ and other data delayed 15 minutes, Dow Jones Indexes are updated daily and reflect End of Day Pricing

Staff photos by John Charles Robbins U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre said increased access to high speed Internet benefits everyone. He was one of several speakers at a "Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony" held in four locations throughout the state Friday to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative. of Lumberton joined Robeson County academic and government leaders at UNCP's share of the event, held at the Business Administration Building on campus. The event was held to celebrate the start of construction on the $104 million second phase of the broadband initiative — including $75.75 million in federal funds — that will greatly expand the reach and capacity of the North Carolina Research and Education Network, that will help businesses and educational institutions have access to high speed Internet.

FEATURED BUSINESSES

Jackie's Gift Shop 1678 S Main St, 910-277-0888 Laurinburg

Jackie has been serving the Scotland County community for 10 years. We have recently changed our name from Jackie's Hallmark to Jackie's Gift Shop. "Excellent Customer Service is ou... e-mail this directory listing |

Parker Furniture 12440 Mccoll Rd, (910) 276 5850 Laurinburg

Kenneth Kitts, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at UNCP.

Parker Furniture offers fine home furnishings at prices you can afford. Our team of expert designers can help you decorate and customize one room or an entire home or vacation home. e-mail this directory listing |

Doug's Tire Shop 1141 S. Main Street, 910-276-3011 Laurinburg

Doug’s Tires is a family owned business with over 75 years experience formerly Doug’s Tire Shop of Maxton. Doug’s is an authorized Goodyear Tire Dealer. Doug’s Tires offers complete automotive ser... e-mail this directory listing |

Gasoline Prices Sponsored By: Average

Lowest

Highest

$3.56

$3.33

$3.69

View Laurinburg, NC Gas Prices

Recipes Sponsored By:

Ginger-Tomato Salad

Try this meal from our Salads and Dressings Vegetables

8/16/2011 8:45 AM

The Laurinburg Exchange - Local Internet to get boost

3 of 3

http://www.laurinburgexchange.com/view/full_story/15070966/article-Lo...

category!

Share This Article |

Click for More Ideas

similar stories Scotland Mustang fans celebrate car anniversary | 2 years ago County soccer gets boost from local business | 9 months ago Library upgrades computer access | 14 months ago Internet games sweep up | 22 months ago How to get the most for your gold | 21 months ago

post a comment comments (0) no comments yet

help

contact us

software copyright Š 2011 matchbin inc. content copyright Š 2011 The Laurinburg Exchange. business listing data provided in part by Localeze. this software is in a public beta test phase

read our privacy policy

The Laurinburg Exchange - Laurinburg, NC - News, Sports, Classifieds, Businesses, Events, Scotland County is in Laurinburg, NC

8/16/2011 8:45 AM

University Newswire at UNC Pembroke

1 of 2

http://www.uncp.edu/news/2011/nc_broadband_project.htm

Contact: Scott Bigelow | 910.521.6351 | scott.bigelow@uncp.edu University and Community Relations |

More

Thursday, August 18, 2011

University, state and federal officials gathered at UNC Pembroke on August 12 to break ground on a construction project that will bring faster broadband service to underserved areas of rural North Carolina.

The $104 million construction project will increase broadband Internet and data speed and capacity in southeastern North Carolina and serve rural and underserved communities.

UNCP will house an optical transport hub to boost signals along the network.

The project, funded by $76 million in federal stimulus money and a $24 million grant from the Golden Leaf Foundation, will construct a 1,200-mile fiber optic cable “backbone” in two phases through 69 North Carolina counties. In the southeast region, cables will be run between Wilmington, Fayetteville and Lumberton, and westward through Scotland and Richmond counties and eastward to Wilmington.

Ground broken – from left: Fayetteville Technical Community President Larry Keen, Dr. Ken Kitts, UNCP’s provost; Rep. Mike McIntyre, Dr. Cammie Hunt, assistant vice chancellor for outreach and Dr. Bob Orr, chief information officer

When completed, the project will connect schools, colleges, hospitals, libraries and other institutions and businesses. In the short term, it will create 2,500 construction jobs, and in the long term, it will create jobs and improved quality of life in rural communities, officials said. Future partnerships with utilities providers and other businesses will carry broadband to

rural homes.

The groundbreaking took place simultaneously at four North Carolina sites: UNCP, Elizabeth City State University, N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis and Asheville-Buncombe Community College. UNCP Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Kenneth Kitts hosted the event in an interactive video classroom in the Business Administration Building.

“The Golden Leaf Broadband Initiative will allow UNCP to extend its economic development programs into the region,” Dr. Kitts said. “This project will make UNCP a hub of broadband connectivity.”

U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre, who helped guide previous funding for rural broadband projects through U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre addresses the Congress, said North Carolina is a big winner in broadband development. groundbreaking “We are bridging the digital divide,” Rep. McIntyre said. “Broadband helps everyone. It’s infrastructure that connects us like railroads; broadband is our railroad to the future, and the bottom line is business development and job creation.”

The initiative is a project of the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC), a private, non-profit organization that operates NCREN or the North Carolina Research and Education Network.

Officials from MCNC and Golden Leaf Foundation said that one dollar invested in broadband returns $10 in jobs.

8/22/2011 9:21 AM

University Newswire at UNC Pembroke

2 of 2

http://www.uncp.edu/news/2011/nc_broadband_project.htm

“This takes away the disadvantage of distance,” said Dan Gerlach, president of the Golden Leaf Foundation, which uses its tobacco settlement fund to assist communities that were once tobacco-dependent.

“Broadband is the same as all other infrastructure, it’s all about jobs.”

The new project will improve service for 17 UNC schools, 115 school systems, 58 community colleges, 27 private colleges and other libraries, health care providers and businesses, said Joe Freddoso, president of MCNC. “Bandwidth use is growing by 30 to 40 percent a year, and a shortage looms,” Freddoso said. “We are building the highway of the future.”

Besides Rep. McIntyre, there were three congressmen and U.S. Senator Kay Hagan at the four sites. Sen. Hagan said “a lot of children across North Carolina will benefit all their lives because of this project.

“Broadband is as important to a community’s success as road, water and sewer and other infrastructure,” she continued. “Far too many North Carolinians, especially in rural areas, lack the tools to access the Internet.

“This is a defining moment in our state’s future,” Sen. Hagan said. “These fibers are an economic lifeline. We are expanding the breadth of opportunity across the state.”

Larry Strickling, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Commerce, said, “Broadband is the key to bringing 21st century jobs to North Carolina, putting people to work and getting our economy back on track.

“This is a textbook example of government spending done right: It’s jobs today, and it will pay dividends for decades,” Strickling said. “This will keep North Carolina on the leading edge of technology jobs.”

Return to University Newswire

8/22/2011 9:21 AM

In searching the publicly accessible web, we found a webpage of interest and provide a snapshot of it below. Please be advised that this page, and any images or links in it, may have changed since we created this snapshot. For your convenience, we provide a hyperlink to the current webpage as part of our service.

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative

Page 1 of 3

5

SUBSCRIBE: Print

Electronic (PDF)

Manage | NEWSLETTERS | SPECIAL OFFERS | RSS | MOBILE | TEXT ALERTS | PLACE ADS | ADVERTISE | N.I.E. | CONTACT US

Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH

i thestate.com j k l m n NEWS

SPORTS

BUSINESS

LIFE & STYLE

OPINIONS

MEDIA

j archives k l m n

OBITS

j web k l m n

FIND N SAVE

CLASSIFIEDS

HOMES

JOBS

CARS

PLACE AD

6

3

4

Markets Overview

Stocks

Mutual Funds & ETF's

Market News

Market Videos

Ticker Symbol or Company Name Recent Quotes

My Watchlist

Sectors Currencies

Rates

Tools

International

Get Quote

The news you want delivered to your e-mail!

Get the PM Headlines Newsletter

Treasury & Bonds

5

SIGN IN BECOME A MEMBER

Search InvestCenter

Indicators

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative By: MCNC via PRNewsWire News Releases

Send

Like

Posted on August 12, 2011 at 12:00 PM EDT

Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MCNC, the private, not-forprofit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI. "Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Quick Job Search Enter Keyword(s):

Enter a City: Columbia

Select a State: South Carolina

Select a Category: All Job Categories 6

6

Advanced Job Search | Search by Category

The State Top Jobs Âť 5

Early Childhood Teacher

US-SC-Columbia "We Are Here For You" Centrally located in the heart of US-SC-Columbia LPNs and RNs US-SC-Columbia The City of North Augusta, SC populatio 21,350, is currently 6 DIANA Âť See More Top Jobs Fans Recommendations Your friends Post

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

The Round 2 project is three-times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina. Sixty-nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project. This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have

VIDEO

LOCAL VIDEO

GALLERIES

Today's news video

http://markets.financialcontent.com/mi.thestate/news/read/19222981/Ecuador_Celebrates_Best_Dark_Chocolate_in_the_World

8/15/2011

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative

Page 2 of 3

been spent with private-sector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future.

We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiberoptic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

About MCNC MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K-20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration among North Carolina's education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non-profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems. In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user-community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non-Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state.

The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, $8 million from the MCNC Endowment, $4 million from private-sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are -part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e-NC Authority to

http://markets.financialcontent.com/mi.thestate/news/read/19222981/Ecuador_Celebrates_Best_Dark_Chocolate_in_the_World

8/15/2011

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative

Page 3 of 3

improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private-sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources For more information regarding all of MCNC's BTOP activities, visit MCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.

You also can follow the progress of the GLRBI at www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI. Questions? Please see our FAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, or contact us for more details.

Editorial Contact: Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 or press@mcnc.org Keywords and Tags MCNC, NCREN, BTOP, ARRA, NTIA, Golden LEAF, GLRBI, distance learning, community anchor institutions, North Carolina, NC, RTP, Research Triangle Park, education, telehealth, telecom, broadband, Internet, web, NC events SOURCE MCNC

Send

Like

Sign Up to see what your friends like.

Facebook social plugin

Stock Market XML and JSON Data API provided by FinancialContent Services, Inc. Nasdaq quotes delayed at least 15 minutes, all others at least 20 minutes.

By accessing this page, you agree to the following Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

Mortgage Rates, CD Rates & Home Equity Rates provided by Banks.com Press Release Service provided by PRConnect.

Fundamental data supplied by Morningstar Stock quotes supplied by Telekurs USA

http://markets.financialcontent.com/mi.thestate/news/read/19222981/Ecuador_Celebrates_Best_Dark_Chocolate_in_the_World

8/15/2011

SOURCE: Raleigh (NC) News & Observer AUDIENCE: 542,216 [provided by Nielsen//NetRatings] DATE: 08−12−2011 HEADLINE: MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative Source Website Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C.,Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire−USNewswire/ −−MCNC, the private, not−for−profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a$24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south centralNorth Carolina.

The high−definition simulcast event was hosted atAsheville−Buncombe Tech Community College,Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus inKannapolis, andUNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI. "Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities inNorth Carolina," saidLawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

The Round 2 project is three−times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties inNorth Carolina.

Sixty−nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of$104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of$75.75 million awarded inAugust 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by$28.25 million in private donations including the$24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is$144 million and includes an investment of$8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project. This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure inNorth Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with private−sector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from theState of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of buildingNorth Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," saidJoe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one−time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will 1

broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber−optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley−Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

About MCNC MCNC is an independent, non−profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughoutNorth Carolina's K−20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration amongNorth Carolina's education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of theUniversity of North Carolina System,Duke University andWake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world.

Visitwww.mcnc.org.

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non−profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K−12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions acrossNorth Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future−proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems.

In addition to all public school districts inNorth Carolina, the NCREN user−community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non−Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transformNorth Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one−half ofNorth Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco−dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over$511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visitwww.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a$144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband 2

Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling$104 million. In addition, MCNC raised$40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included$24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation,$8 million from the MCNC Endowment,$4 million from private−sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated$4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from theState of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are −part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office ofNorth Carolina GovernorBev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e−NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private−sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources For more information regarding all of MCNC's BTOP activities, visitMCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.

You also can follow the progress of the GLRBI atwww.twitter.com/GLRBI orwww.facebook.com/GLRBI. Questions? Please see ourFAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, orcontact us for more details.

Editorial Contact: Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 orpress@mcnc.org Keywords and Tags MCNC, NCREN, BTOP, ARRA, NTIA, Golden LEAF, GLRBI, distance learning, community anchor institutions,North Carolina, NC, RTP,Research Triangle Park, education, telehealth, telecom, broadband, Internet, web, NC events SOURCE MCNC (c) Copyright 2011 FinancialContent Services, Inc. Highlights: NC, NORTH CAROLINA, MCNC, Golden LEAF, Rural Broadband Initiative, NCREN, N.C, North Carolina, Research andEducation Network, RuralBroadband Initiative, BTOP, NorthCarolina, mcnc.org, Research and Education Network, GoldenLEAF

3

In searching the publicly accessible web, we found a webpage of interest and provide a snapshot of it below. Please be advised that this page, and any images or links in it, may have changed since we created this snapshot. For your convenience, we provide a hyperlink to the current webpage as part of our service.

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - WECT TV6 - WECT.com - Wilmington, NC news and ...

Page 1 of 3

Go

n SITE SEARCH m i j k l m n WEB SEARCH BY j k l

MEMBER CENTER: Create Account | Log In

Cape Fear Daily Deals

Wilmington

·

Jobs

·

Contests

8:00 pm

11:00 pm

79°

76°

·

Cape Fear Business Break

Email

Share |

Print

Advertise on WECT

Beach Cam

87° Feels Like: 89° 7-Day Forecast

·

Battleship Cam Zip code

Interactive Radar

Text Size

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative Recommend

Sign Up to see what your friends recommend.

Information contained on this page is provided by companies via press release distributed through PR Newswire, an independent third-party content provider. PR Newswire, WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

SOURCE MCNC

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

Locklear to marry TV co-star New face after chimp attack Court limits Obamacare Man fired for urine habit Today's Top News

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI. "Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

The Round 2 project is three-times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina. Sixty-nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project.

This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with private-sector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

About MCNC MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K-20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration among North Carolina's education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non-profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is

http://www.wect.com/story/15257168/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-golden-leaf-rural-broadband-initiative

8/15/2011

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - WECT TV6 - WECT.com - Wilmington, NC news and ...

Page 2 of 3

the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems. In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user-community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non-Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, $8 million from the MCNC Endowment, $4 million from private-sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are -part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e-NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private-sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources For more information regarding all of MCNC's BTOP activities, visit MCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.

You also can follow the progress of the GLRBI at www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI. Questions? Please see our FAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, or contact us for more details.

Editorial Contact: Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 or press@mcnc.org Keywords and Tags MCNC, NCREN, BTOP, ARRA, NTIA, Golden LEAF, GLRBI, distance learning, community anchor institutions, North Carolina, NC, RTP, Research Triangle Park, education, telehealth, telecom, broadband, Internet, web, NC events Š2011 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.

All WECT on Twitter Want to know the latest from WECT? Follow all the WECT twitter feeds on one page here.

Cape Fear Heroes Know someone that goes above and beyond for the community?

Nominate them to be a Cape Fear Hero.

Advertisement

Presque Isle - New trick allows any Maine resident to get extremely cheap car insurance.

Top cruise lines are giving away their unsold cabins...

Maine: Mom discovers $9 car insurance trick.

Auto insurers are scared you will learn this too.

Famed economist predicts economic calamity in 2012. See the evidence.

Enroll in Maine Teaching Program. Fin. Aid for those who qualify. Receive free info today!

[Aug 2011]: Maine drivers with no DUIs may be eligible for $9 per week car insurance.

http://www.wect.com/story/15257168/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-golden-leaf-rural-broadband-initiative

8/15/2011

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - WECT TV6 - WECT.com - Wilmington, NC news and ...

Page 3 of 3

EXPLORE WECT.COM HOME

LOCAL NEWS

WEATHER

SPORTS

ABOUT US

North Carolina News

Carolina in the Morning

Maps and Forecasts

Dolphins

How to Reach Us

South Carolina News

My Turn, Your Turn

WeatherActive Radar

Hammerheads

National News

America Now

Hurricane Center

Rams

How Do I advertise on WECT and WECT.com?

International News

Agriculture News

Severe Weather

Seahawks

Business News

Ask WECT

Beach and Boat

Sea Dawgs

Fish & Game Forecast

Sea Devils

Strange News

Advertise on WECT Communities Websites WECT Jobs

Midland Weather Radios

All content Š Copyright 2000 - 2011 WorldNow and WECT, a Raycom Media Station.

All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

http://www.wect.com/story/15257168/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-golden-leaf-rural-broadband-initiative

8/15/2011

In searching the publicly accessible web, we found a webpage of interest and provide a snapshot of it below. Please be advised that this page, and any images or links in it, may have changed since we created this snapshot. For your convenience, we provide a hyperlink to the current webpage as part of our service.

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - WCWG 20 - Greensboro CW |

Page 1 of 2

Go

SITE SEARCH

MEMBER CENTER: Create Account | Log In

Email

Share |

Print

Text Size

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative Recommend

Sign Up to see what your friends recommend.

Information contained on this page is provided by companies via press release distributed through PR Newswire, an independent third-party content provider. PR Newswire, WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

SOURCE MCNC Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MCNC, the private, not-for-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

This August at the box office

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI.

z Conan the Barbarian z Rise of the Planet of the Apes z Final Destination 5 z Don't Be Afraid of the Dark z Search movie showtimes!

"Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

The Round 2 project is three-times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina. Sixty-nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project.

This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with private-sector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one-time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

About MCNC MCNC is an independent, non-profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K-20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration among North Carolina's education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System, Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non-profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K-12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future-proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems. In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user-community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non-Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

http://www.wcwg20.com/story/15257168/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-golden-leaf-rural-broadband-initiative

8/15/2011

MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative - WCWG 20 - Greensboro CW |

Page 2 of 2

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation, $8 million from the MCNC Endowment, $4 million from private-sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are -part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e-NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private-sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources For more information regarding all of MCNC's BTOP activities, visit MCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.

You also can follow the progress of the GLRBI at www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI. Questions? Please see our FAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, or contact us for more details.

Editorial Contact: Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 or press@mcnc.org Keywords and Tags MCNC, NCREN, BTOP, ARRA, NTIA, Golden LEAF, GLRBI, distance learning, community anchor institutions, North Carolina, NC, RTP, Research Triangle Park, education, telehealth, telecom, broadband, Internet, web, NC events Š2011 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.

All content Š Copyright 2000 - 2011 WorldNow and WCWG. All Rights Reserved.

For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

http://www.wcwg20.com/story/15257168/mcnc-begins-round-2-of-golden-leaf-rural-broadband-initiative

8/15/2011

SOURCE: Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area (Greensboro,NC) AUDIENCE: 1,494,638 [provided by Nielsen//NetRatings] DATE: 08−12−2011 HEADLINE: MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative Source Website MCNC begins Round 2 of Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative PR Newswire KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Aug. 12, 2011 Historic event showcases NCREN's capabilities with virtual groundbreaking in four locations KANNAPOLIS, N.C.,Aug. 12, 2011/PRNewswire−USNewswire/ −−MCNC, the private, not−for−profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), hosted a Statewide Virtual Groundbreaking Ceremony today in four locations throughout the state to highlight the start of construction on Round 2 of the of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI).

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and significant matching funds from private donations and investments including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The GLRBI will greatly expand the reach and capacity of NCREN in northeastern, north central, western and south central North Carolina.

The high−definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville−Buncombe Tech Community College,Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke. The event leveraged the existing video capabilities of NCREN. These video capabilities and capacity for HD video use among NCREN connectors will greatly expand as a result of the GLRBI. "Thanks to the Recovery Act, this project is creating jobs and will support continued innovation and expanded economic and educational opportunities in North Carolina," said Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

MCNC received federal approval to begin GLRBI phase 2 construction in late June. Since that time, MCNC has mobilized efforts and worked to finalize all necessary permits and materials to begin construction.

The Round 2 project is three−times the size of MCNC's BTOP Round 1 project. Those areas of construction for Round 2 include 1,200 miles of broadband infrastructure through 79 counties in North Carolina.

Sixty−nine of these counties include significant areas that meet the federal definition of "underserved" for access to affordable broadband services.

The total second phase project cost of $104 million was funded by two sources. The first was a federal BTOP grant of $75.75 million awarded in August 2010 through the NTIA. The BTOP investment was matched by $28.25 million in private donations including the $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The total investment for both Round 1 and Round 2 of the broadband infrastructure build is $144 million and includes an investment of $8 million in funds from the MCNC endowment that was used as matching funds for the Round 1 project. This level of investment represents one of the largest in broadband infrastructure in North Carolina history. The majority of the project funds have been spent with private−sector engineering, construction, materials, and technology companies who will assist with the build. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required, and MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

1

"MCNC is excited to begin the second phase of building North Carolina's highway to the future. We want to thank our state and federal leaders for their continued support for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative," said Joe Freddoso, president and CEO of MCNC. "Today, we can link several sites via HD video for a one−time event. The GLRBI expansion, when complete, will allow us to host hundreds of these sessions simultaneously across the state. It will impact all facilities and institutions connected to NCREN. It will broaden the way teachers teach, students learn, doctors provide care, and for citizens at a local library searching to find a job."

To date, MCNC has awarded contracts for Round 2 to the following firms: CommScope for fiber−optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley−Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

All construction is to be complete by 2013.

About MCNC MCNC is an independent, non−profit organization that employs advanced Internet networking technologies and systems to continuously improve learning and collaboration throughout North Carolina's K−20 education community. MCNC provides advanced communications technologies and support services that enable access to 21st century learning applications and offers the opportunity to improve teaching, learning, research, and collaboration among North Carolina's education community. For a more than a quarter century MCNC has operated a robust, secure, exclusive communications network that has connected the institutions of the University of North Carolina System,Duke University and Wake Forest University to each other and through advanced research networks such as Internet2 and National Lambda Rail, to the world. Visit www.mcnc.org.

About NCREN Community NCREN, operated by the non−profit organization MCNC, is one of the nation's first statewide education and research networks. It provides broadband communications technology services and support to K−12 school districts, higher education campuses and academic research institutions across North Carolina. MCNC offers NCREN technology tools and services to guarantee equal access to 21st century learning by providing a future−proof technology network that is the foundation for change and innovation in our educational systems.

In addition to all public school districts in North Carolina, the NCREN user−community now includes: 17 institutions of the UNC System and General Administration; 19 North Carolina Charter Schools, 27 of the 36 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; 58 North Carolina Community Colleges; research institutions and foundations; and, along with the N.C. Office of Information Technology Services and other partners, MCNC will provide broadband services for the Public Health and Non−Profit Hospitals Phases of the N.C. Telehealth Network in 2011 and beyond.

About The Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina's economy. The foundation receives one−half of North Carolina's funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting tobacco−dependent, economically distressed and/or rural communities across the state. The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with governmental entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 1,110 grants worth over $511 million since its inception. To learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684.8404.

About Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative MCNC currently is working on a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education 2

Network (NCREN) scheduled to be completed by 2013. This initiative has been labeled the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative.

To fund this expansion, MCNC applied for and received two U.S. Department of Commerce Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awards totaling $104 million. In addition, MCNC raised $40 million in private matching funds as required by the BTOP program. MCNC's sources of matching funds included $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation,$8 million from the MCNC Endowment,$4 million from private−sector wholesale telecommunications company FRC, and an estimated $4 million through donations of land and existing conduit from individual community colleges, universities, and others including the Albemarle Pamlico Economic Development Corporation. No direct funding from the State of North Carolina was required. MCNC estimates the expansion of NCREN will create or save 2,500 engineering, construction, and manufacturing jobs in the state.

Both MCNC awards are −part of a coordinated strategy developed by the Office of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery & Investment, and e−NC Authority to improve broadband access for businesses and residents in underserved areas. Once all work is complete, the two rounds of BTOP infrastructure have the potential to serve directly, or through MCNC partnerships with private−sector service providers, more than 1,500 community anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses, and reach more than 300,000 underserved families.

Online Resources MCNC's BTOP Central Web Space online.www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI.FAQ section regarding Round 2 construction questions, or contact us for more details.

Editorial Contact:Noah Garrett, NGC Communications, on behalf of MCNC: (252) 423.1277 or press@mcnc.org Keywords and Tags MCNC, NCREN, BTOP, ARRA, NTIA, Golden LEAF, GLRBI, distance learning, community anchor institutions,North Carolina, NC, RTP,Research Triangle Park, education, telehealth, telecom, broadband, Internet, web, NC events Source: MCNC The information on this page is provided by PR Newswire. All rights reserved. (c) 2011 American City Business Journals, Inc.and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Highlights: NC, NORTH CAROLINA, North_Carolina, MCNC, Golden LEAF, Rural Broadband Initiative, N.C, NCREN, North Carolina, Research and Education Network, Rural Broadband Initiative, BTOP, North Carolina, mcnc.org, Research and Education Network, Golden LEAF

3

In searching the publicly accessible web, we found a webpage of interest and provide a snapshot of it below. Please be advised that this page, and any images or links in it, may have changed since we created this snapshot. For your convenience, we provide a hyperlink to the current webpage as part of our service.

N.C. broadband initiative kicks off new, $104 million phase

NorthCarolinaDaily.com

Page 1 of 1

Monday 15th August 2011

Issue 9/3302

Follow us on !

! !

!

!

!

! !

!

!

!

!

!

More North Carolina News Scores dead as blasts rock cities all over Iraq Cairo the scene of clashes outside court as Mubarak trial resumes Investigators sift through debris following deadly stage collapse at Indiana State Fair Dozens reports dead following shelling of protesters by Syrian navy Gaddafi calls on supporters to fight as rebels claim major advances Bargain hunting underpins Wall Street European markets up on good news out of US and Japan Pictures scandal may delay Cathay Pacific ad campaign Over 40% of Benin government revenue threatened by piracy Time Warner Cable buys 10th largest cable operator in US, according to reports World Bank chief says markets are in a danger zone Buddhist Temple Workers Cant Afford Worship in Sri Lanka

2011 NACD Conference

The Directorship Event of The Year! Learn & Network w/ 750+ Directors. www.nacdonline.org/NACD-Conference

N.C. broadband initiative kicks off new, $104 million phase North Carolina Daily Friday 12th August, 2011 (Source: Charlotte

Business Journal)

The Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative has launched a $104 million, second phase of its project to increase access to broadband service in North Carolina's rural communities.

The effort kicked off Friday with "virtual ground breaking" events held simultaneously at four locations across the state, including the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapoli... ...

Read the full story at Charlotte

Business Journal

2

Share this page

Recommend

Email this story to a friend

Have your say on this story Your nickname

(required)

Message

5

6

Get North Carolina News headlines emailed to you daily.

Post comment

Add Email

Home

News Releases

About Us

Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions

Site Map

copyrightŠ Midwest Radio Network Ltd 2002 - 2011. All rights reserved

http://story.northcarolinadaily.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/a6c0447118ba14fb/id/47695675/

8/15/2011

SOURCE: Hickory (NC) Daily Record AUDIENCE: 42,488 [provided by Nielsen//NetRatings] DATE: 08−15−2011 HEADLINE: Leaders celebrate broadband expansion with 'virtual groundbreaking' Source Website

Leaders celebrate broadband expansion with 'virtual groundbreaking' Next Image A groundbreaking ceremony during an announcement of the second phase of a rural broadband initiative partially funded by federal stimulus money.Credit: Photos by James Nix David Murdock talks with Senator Kay Hagan at the North Carolina Research Campus during an announcement of the second phase of a rural broadband initiative partially funded by federal stimulus money.Credit: Photos by James Nix 1 By:Ben McNeely Published: August 13, 2011 KANNAPOLIS, N.C. −− Rural broadband access got a jump−start at the N.C. Research Campus Friday.

Elected leaders held a "virtual ground−breaking " on the second phase of a massive statewide project to bring broadband access to rural areas in the state.

The $105 million project " with $75 million coming from federal stimulus money " will install about 1,650 miles of new broadband fiber cable through rural counties. This will increase access and boost speeds up to 1 gigabit of information a second, said Lawrence Strickling,assistant secretary for the U.S. Commerce Department.

But for legislators on the state and federal level, the message was clear: This program expansion will help create jobs, connect schools and universities and expand the broadband infrastructure to people where they need it.

"Far too many people lack the 21st Century tools to compete in the global economy, " said Sen. Kay Hagan.

"Rural areas were hit hard in the economic downturn. " The other $24 million to pay for the project is a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, through its Rural Broadband Initiative.

"The world we live in today depends on more and more connections, "Hagan said.

The N.C. Research Campus will be a new hub in this broadband network, allowing scientists at the Core Research Laboratory to share information throughout the state and world at speeds faster than regular broadband.

1

Joe Freddoso,chief executive of MCNC, the non−profit leading the rural broadband project, said the project would affect research and development, education and health care.

While this network is primarily for institutional customers " schools, colleges, hospitals " MCNC is talking with private industry partners to help distribute broadband access to residences,Freddoso said.

"We (TM)re bringing the highway of the future to North Carolina, " he said.

Contact online editor Ben McNeely: 704−789−9131 Highlights: NC, NORTH CAROLINA, nc, rural broadband initiative, North Carolina, rural broadband initiative, N.C, Golden LEAF, Rural Broadband Initiative, MCNC

2

In searching the publicly accessible web, we found a webpage of interest and provide a snapshot of it below. Please be advised that this page, and any images or links in it, may have changed since we created this snapshot. For your convenience, we provide a hyperlink to the current webpage as part of our service.

Boost given to rural NC broadband expansion

Page 1 of 1

MONDAY: AUGUST 22, 2011 HOME

SIGN-UP FOR DAILY UPDATES

INDUSTRY NEWS

REAL ESTATE

ENTREPRENEURS

PERSONAL BUSINESS

LISTS

OPINION

EVENTS

SUBSCRIBE

ADVERTISING

SpotON WEB VIDEO

Quick Links: Titan Cement Cape Fear Future UNCW

SEARCH:

Boost given to rural NC broadband expansion

By Business Journal Staff

August 19, 2011

The Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative held a “virtual groundbreaking” August 12 to launch the $104 million second phase of its project to increase broadband Internet access in rural North Carolina.

Industry News:

The high-definition simulcast event was hosted at Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, and UNC Pembroke.

The GLRBI is funded through grants from U.S. Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and significant matching funds from private donations and investments, including a $24 million investment from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

In total, the initiative will invest $144 million in broadband services for rural communities. It will add 1,620 miles of fiber-optic cable in 79 of the state’s 100 counties. All work on the project is expected to be completed by 2013.

“This investment lays the groundwork for sustainable long-term growth,” said Lawrence Strickling, administrator of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “Broadband is the platform for bringing jobs of the future to North Carolina.”

To date, contracts awarded for the second phase of the project have gone to CommScope for fiber-optic cable and materials; Edwards Telecommunications, Fiber Technologies, and Globe Communications for construction and fiber installation, and Kimley-Horn & Associates for engineering design, project planning, and related services.

You can follow the progress of the GLRBI at www.twitter.com/GLRBI or www.facebook.com/GLRBI.

Finding a niche and filling it Finding a need and filling it may be the simplest part of the equation for building a successful bus...

Learn More >> ! ! ! !

Local banks announce promotions, additions Real Estate People on the Move for April 22 People on the Move for April 26, 2011 People on the Move for March 31, 2011

Flores & Foley, Inc. is proud to be a leader in the roofing industry for the Wilmington, NC area. Serving homeowners and builders alike, we offer the ...more

Like

8 likes. Sign Up to see what your friends like.

Get Your SpotOn Web Video Today!

© 2011, SAJ Media LLC - No portion of this Web site may be reproduced without permission.

http://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/industry_news_details.php?id=2722

| Contact Us | Home |

8/22/2011