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The Northern Lights Project: Broadband Access at the Local Level
Broadband has become an economic and social necessity for every facet of society. This includes local government and public safety. Unfortunately, in many areas of the country local government including public safety answering points and public safety in general have little to no access to broadband and the many time and life saving advances it can offer. To address this need, APCO International has partnered with XO Communications and the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) to pursue funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the Northern Lights Project which will create a new, open access, affordable, IP protocol fiber optic route from Chicago to Seattle. This project will result in a new 2,250 mile, 144 fiber cable through Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and will provide service to other adjoining states, including South Dakota and Iowa.
Northern Lights will:
- Bring Tier 1 network connectivity to underserved areas
- Enable high speed capacity to constrained wired and wireless providers
- Create jobs in 9 states
- Provide cost effective "middle mile" broadband alternatives to underserved areas
- Partner with local Cooperatives, Public Safety Agencies, States, Counties, Municipalities, State Networks, and State Agencies to create a state of the art network to support Internet needs of communities for the next 20 years
Join APCO, XO and NARC in this free presentation to learn how your jurisdiction could benefit from this initiative to bring affordable, carrier grade broadband services to wired and wireless last mile providers that cover hundreds of communities in nine states. Northern Lights will allow communities to provide crucial services that will encourage their populations and business to prosper and grow while enhancing the levels of safety and security they offer. The project will offer virtually unlimited broadband speeds to last mile providers along the route to meet the growing needs of the communities they serve.
Presenters:
Kristin U. Shulman, Vice President - State Public Policy, XO Communications
Kristin Shulman is currently leading XO's efforts with regards to applying for awards from the NTIA's Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program. Prior to joining XO, Ms. Shulman was Regional Vice President - Regulatory Affairs at Allegiance Telecom which was acquired by XO in 2004.
John Ivanuska, Director - State Regulatory Policy, XO Communications
John is responsible for the leadership and oversight of all regulatory and legislative efforts in the eastern United States. With respect to the XO Broadband Stimulus project, John is responsible for creating awareness of and seeking stakeholder support for XO's anticipated Round 2 application.
Steven J, Makky, Sr., Staff Engineer, APCO International, Inc. AFC - Spectrum Management Services
As Staff Engineer, Steve provides technical expertise and insight on a range of telecommunications engineering issues including radio frequency coordination, proactive interference prevention and resolution, FCC licensing, regulatory issues and policy development, and spectrum management for national public safety constituency.
Robert L. Smith, Director of Strategic Development, APCO International
After almost two decades of service in the public safety and public policy arena, Smith currently serves as the senior business development and outreach lead for APCO International.
Register Here:
February 3 2:00 PM ET
February 4 2:00 PM ET
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