ITS hopes to update AU with better broadband

ITS director Gary Roberts hosted a presentation about the upcoming broadband upgrade coming to Alfred at Howell Hall on Nov. 30.

It took three years of actively partnering with different groups to provide Alfred with better internet connectivity. AU ITS supported a number of grant proposals among local technology groups, including Finger Lakes Technology Group (FLTG), Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board and the Independent Optical Network (ION).
Under the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of the Obama stimulus plan, ION was awarded a $40 million technology grant for ten fiber builds throughout the whole state.

This funding is part of an initiative to help solve the digital divide, or the technological disadvantage rural areas face when they lack the internet connectivity of more urban areas. This is especially crucial when there are higher education institutions in rural locations. Although not yet officially signed, the plan would allow other rural area colleges such as Houghton and St. Bonaventure, to receive additional broadband connection. Another 1,300 linear miles will also be added to the existing 2,300 linear mile infrastructure, giving the area a 3,600 linear mile network of broadband fiber.

Though the up-front price of such connection is costly, the long-term maintenance is inexpensive and will hopefully pay for itself over time, making for a strong foundation in the rural Western New York area. If contract negotiations proceed as planned, Alfred University could see its bandwidth tripled from 100 Mbps to 300 Mbps. Location of the fiber build that would connect Alfred to the ION network will extend from Ingleside, NY and run through Alfred to Whitesville. This build will be the first of the ten that will begin in the next 36 months.

The overall network will touch more than 100 anchor institutions in the state, making Alfred an anchor institution and point of presence. A point of presence or “POP” is a location like a computer center that contains and utilizes essential network service equipment. Having AU as a point of presence, the University’s data center would provide connections to other anchor institutions and network subscribers where we would be an important participant in a network, not just a consumer.

Another benefit would be that our area would be connected to a greater network, giving direct access to the more up-to-date internet service providers in major locations like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and New York City.
Roberts also noted that our AU data center has been designed with redundancy and business continuity in mind and such concentration of technical expertise in Alfred. Said the ION group, “you don’t find this in rural locations.”

“Our rural location combined with our resources and technical expertise make us an important participant of this network," Roberts said of the plan.

No exact date has been set yet for the contract authorizing the plan to be signed. However, Roberts says, “we hope to increase the broadband sometime during the Spring 2011 semester.”