Link to February 24 Stevens Point Journal article.Excerpt: Public school students and library users in Iola, Plainfield and Hancock will get faster Internet connections thanks to federal stimulus money designated to upgrade to fiber-optic broadband connections.
The Hancock Public Library, Plainfield Public Library, Tri-County Area School District, Iola-Scandinavia School District and Iola Village Library are five of 467 school districts and libraries slated to receive money from the the $28.7 million grant.
The grant will be used to upgrade large sections of the BadgerNet Converged Network, which provides video and data services to more than 1,900 public places such as schools, libraries, universities, technical colleges, state agencies and local governments.
Rural school districts and most libraries served by the network receive broadband through a copper cable, which quickly can become overloaded and result in slower connection speeds. The federal grant, along with a 20 percent match from the state, will pay to change the copper sections to fiber-optic cable.
Related articles:
Green Bay Press-Gazette Editorial Board Supports Use of Federal Stimulus Funds for Broadband. (2/22/2010)
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Rural broadband service coming to libraries, schools - but not homes. (2/20/2010)
Rhinelander Daily News: Schools, libraries to benefit from broadband funds. (2/20/2010)
Wausau Daily Herald: Rural libraries to gain high-speed Internet access. (2/20/2010)
Green Bay Press-Gazette: Rural school districts, targeted for $22.9 million in broadband upgrades. (2/19/2010)
No comments:
Post a Comment