News: Clark Co. Libraries (Fiber Optic Upgrade - 2014)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Weller, Evers,

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co, WI) 2/19/2014

Libraries (Fiber Optic Upgrade - 2/19/2014)

More than 300 libraries on the BadgerNet Converged Network (BGN), including those in Neillsville, Greenwood, Loyal, Abbotsford, Colby, Dorchester, Owen, and Thorp, will be receiving new, state-of-the-art fiber optic connections in 2014.

The $4.2 million upgrade from copper to fiber optic infrastructure will be paid for by the state’s Technology for Educational Achievement (TEACH) program and by the local telecommunication companies that provide BadgerNet broadband services to the state.

The libraries will also receive increased bandwidth.

“Faster speeds today are a big benefit to the libraries, but the fiber build-out allows the libraries to increase their bandwidth in the future as their needs grow,” said Mark Weller, president of Access Wisconsin.

The libraries are connected to the BCN, which provides video, data and Internet transport services to more than 2,000 public sector institutions, including K-12 schools, private schools, public libraries, universities, technical colleges, tribal colleges, state agencies and local governments.

The investment in the state network by private companies also benefits residential and business customers.

“When we are laying fiber for BadgerNet, we lay fiber for other uses as well,” Weller said. “That new infrastructure help make service available to everyone.”

Department of Public Instruction (DPI) State superintendent Tony Evers said the actual fiber installation will begin in April and should be completed by November of this year.

“With so much information available only via the web, there is a need for ever greater Internet connection speeds in our libraries,” Evers said, noting 8.5 percent of the states libraries have Internet connection speeds above 10Mbps. “In addition to information flow, slow connections have limited libraries’ abilities to offer computer training and web conferencing. Fiber is a wise investment in networking infrastructure, and it will greatly help our libraries serve their community’s needs for ever faster Internet connectivity.”