2010 Buyers Guide - Broadband Properties

viders at lower rates than they could acquire the service, generating
savings that will be passed on to Sunset’s customers.
Sunset’s purchase of bandwidth from WBS adds a data
path to Atlanta that will complement its current connection to
Ashburn, Va. The redundant path also reduces the chances of
service outages – an important consideration for large companies
scouting for data center locations, as well as for local businesses
that rely on the Internet. Paul Elswick, president of Sunset
Digital Communications, says, “The ability to obtain this
kind of high-capacity connectivity is a huge leap forward for
the area. We actually had a vehicle accident the other day that
took down our Ashburn connection temporarily, and none of
our customers noticed. When problems are transparent to our
customers and their businesses, everyone wins. That’s the level
of service we want to provide.”
(For more information about Sunset Digital Communications
and LENOWISCO, see this month’s Municipal FTTH
Snapshot.)
The city of Dublin, Ohio, entered into an agreement with
DataCenter.BZ, a carrier-neutral data center, to bring dark fiber
from its DubLink system to the DataCenter.BZ facility in
Worthington, Ohio.
DubLink, a 120-mile system of underground fiber optic
conduits in the city’s business district, enables interconnectivity
between facilities on the fiber route. The network
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corporations time and money by providing a telecommunications
pathway on which businesses can lease space rather than
construct their own lines. The Dublin City Council authorized
the sublease of the city’s optical fiber, which will increase the
amount of available bandwidth in the region.
Businesses can now connect to carriers or use other services
at the DataCenter.BZ data center, including collocation, physical
security for IT equipment, Tier IV power, 24/7 managed
services, virtualization and cloud computing.
“Not only is this an economical way for companies to
privately connect to IT and telecommunication solutions; it
eliminates the restriction of bandwidth that is often created by
telecom carriers,” says Gordon Scherer, president of DataCenter.BZ.
“Utilizing dark fiber, businesses have complete control
over their bandwidth and can increase or decrease their speeds
based solely on the equipment they choose to operate.”
Connectivity at DataCenter.BZ also provides DubLink
with direct fiber-ring access to competing cell phone carriers;
cable TV companies; local, national and global telecommunication
carriers; Internet2; and IPTV providers.
In Vermont, the Rutland Redevelopment Authority –
a branch of the Rutland city government – plans to launch
a company to provide fiber-based telecom services to greater
Rutland County. After considerable debate, the city’s Board of
Aldermen took a significant step toward realizing the project:
approving, by an 8-to-1 margin, a motion to sign a letter of
intent to participate in Rutland Telecom. Several nearby towns
have already signed such letters of intent.
The community of Staples, Minn., won a Minnesota
Community Pride award for its fiber broadband initiative. In
this community of 3,100, the educational leaders, businesses,
nonprofits and city government all see broadband capacity as
key to economic growth and development and a means to ensuring
long-term survival of the community. The judges said,
“This is truly an opportunity to reinvent a low-income, rural
area by establishing the groundwork necessary to bring in new
people, new ideas, and new economic opportunities.”
Staples’ initiative involves installing fiber optic lines to bring
high-speed Internet to all homes and businesses in Greater Staples.
In February 2009, the first phase – installation of a direct
wireless system for those just outside city limits – went live. The
second phase will involve installation of the broadband backbone
linking the collaborating entities. Planners believe that the
community collaborative team approach in Staples is unique.
The Lac qui Parle County Economic Development Authority
(EDA) received a $25,000.00 grant from the Blandin
Foundation to prepare a Robust Broadband Network Feasibility
Study for an ultra-high-speed fiber optic network across Lac
qui Parle County in partnership with Farmer’s Mutual Telephone
Company. Lac qui Parle County EDA has retained the
services of U-reka Broadband Ventures to prepare the study.
“The Lac qui Parle EDA is very excited to explore the possibility
of bringing fiber-to-the-premises technology to all of Lac qui
Parle County. This network will be an economic development
driver and make us competitive locally, regionally and worldwide,”
says Pam Lehmann of the Lac qui Parle EDA. BBP
22 | BROADBAND PROPERTIES | www.broadbandproperties.com | November/December 2009