ecommunity strategies january 2011
DESCRIPTION
eCommunity Strategies January 2011TRANSCRIPT
In November, 2010, Sycamore Telephone Company hosted a Customer Appreciation Night to thank its customers. The company also utilized the opportunity to provide consumers with valuable information on its upcoming Fiber-to-the-Home project. Sycamore Telephone, along with various community sponsors, offered guests free dinner and door prizes. The Sycamore Community Center’s packed room proved the company’s efforts were a great success.
“We were extremely happy with the turnout. We have had a lot of positive feedback,” said Rick Eckleberry, operations and marketing analyst for Sycamore Telephone Company.
The Sycamore Telephone Company’s Fiber-to-the-Home project is funded by a $4.1 million loan/grant combination and will build a fiber-to-the-home system within the villages
Sycamore Telephone Company’s Customer Appreciation Night proves successful
January 2011
continued on page 2
The Sycamore Community Center was filled for the Sycamore Telephone Company Customer Appreciation Night
CONTENTS
Ohio school district makes snow days into virtual learning days ........................... 2
Available Wi-Fi keeps Meigs County firefighters trained and working ................. 3
Connect Ohio awards Broadband Heroes .................................... 4
Connect Ohio’s State Operations ManagersDon ShirleyState Operations Manager Southwest [email protected]
Bart WinegarState Operations ManagerSoutheast [email protected]
Jeff BeebeState Operations ManagerNortheast [email protected]
Heather DelanyState Operations ManagerNorthwest [email protected]
eCommunity Strategies NewsletterJanuary 2011
2
Ohio school district makes snow days into virtual learning days
Making up school calamity days can often be a struggle for school districts. One Ohio school district is piloting an innovative program to ensure students continue their education from home while the district shortens its number of calamity days.
Mississinawa Valley Local School District in Darke County has been granted a waiver from the Ohio Department of Education to provide education online during two calamity days, after its state-issued three are used.
“Mississinawa Schools approached us with a complete proposal. They compiled all of the research and knew how many of their students had access to Internet in their homes,” said Scott Blake, Press Secretary with the Ohio Department of Education.
The school district conducted an informal survey, finding 75% of its students had Internet in their home and 89% had access through a neighbor, friend or relative. The district also held informational meetings for parents.
“We’ve received very positive feedback. Parents say they are glad their children will have something to do during days off school,” said Lisa Wendel, Mississinawa Valley Local School District Superintendent.
The few concerns about the program are whether households with dial-up connections or multiple school-aged children will have any difficulty utilizing online courses. Wendel says students will have two weeks to complete the online lessons if they are unable to do so during the day off school.
The program also allows for classroom innovations.
”This project provides 100% of the staff a reason for extending instruction beyond the walls of their classroom,” Wendel said. “There is an untapped potential of technology that can extend and enhance face to face instruction.”
The University of Dayton is researching the implementation of the program. Its research will assist the Ohio Department of Education’s review of the program’s success. Wendel, as well as the Ohio Department of Education, have received multiple inquiries from school districts throughout Ohio interested in the possible implementation of the program for their own districts.
Sycamore Telephone Company’s Customer Appreciation Night proves successful
Continued from page 1
of Sycamore, Melmore and McCutchenville, as well as allow fiber to be placed to existing DSL terminals in service areas outside the villages. The fiber project will allow speeds up to 30 Mbs and is expected to create jobs and help drive economic development in the community. Internet Protocol TV introduction to these rural communities will also be expanded.
According to Sycamore Telephone, more than 4,200 people, about 450 business and 14 community anchor institutions could benefit from the improved service.
Sycamore Telephone gathered feedback on the Fiber-to-the-Home project, as well as on company perception and services offered from consumers in attendance at the event. It also issued a survey to about 1700 households, receiving a 53 percent response rate and an 85 percent satisfied customer rate.
BroadbandStat question of the monthQ: I’m using BroadbandStat, but I’m not sure about the difference between ‘Fixed’ vs. ‘Mobile’ wireless coverage. What is the difference?
A: Fixed Wireless coverage is often provided by a Wireless Internet Service Provider, or ‘WISP’, by a tower to the end user via a stationary piece of equipment sometimes referred to as a ‘CPE’, or Customer Premise Equipment.
Mobile Wireless coverage is provided by a mobile wireless carrier. These carriers are often larger cell phone companies who offer a mixture of voice and data services to an end user via a mobile piece of equipment.
Got a question about a BroadbandStat program? E-mail it to Public Relations Specialist Amanda Murphy at [email protected]
eCommunity Strategies NewsletterJanuary 2011
3
Many areas of Ohio are still in the midst of the digital divide – and emergency services personnel are no exception.
A volunteer fire department in Bashan, Ohio felt the brunt of the divide when firefighters began losing their certification.
“Three lost their fire certification because they had no Internet here and the certification had to be completed online,” said Luck McDaniel, a Bashan volunteer firefighter.
Though the fire station housed one computer and had dial-up Internet access, McDaniel said the Internet capabilities were “not functional, wouldn’t download and took forever.” He approached the Wireless Internet Service Provider for the area, New Era Broadband, for any possible solutions.
David Hannum, with New Era Broadband, LLC, explained Bashan’s predicament.
“Point-to-Multipoint [Wireless Connectivity] has limitations due to terrain and foliage. You cannot get the signal over or around hills and into hollows directly most of the time,” he said.
Bashan is located in a low-lying area surrounded by elevated forest terrain.
New Era Broadband found a cost effective way to relay the Wi-Fi signal from one of its access points to a siren tower, then directly to a receiver atop the fire department’s building. With the help of Bart Winegar, Technical Outreach Manager for Connect Ohio, a partial grant provided by the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, the Meigs County Community Investment Corporation and New Era Broadband, the Bashan Volunteer Fire Department now has free broadband service.
“Now we can communicate with the State. Our firefighters are in compliance and staying in touch,” said McDaniel.
Winegar said, “This is an example of how a community can come together in a private/public collaboration to solve last-mile broadband issues.”
The relay system also offers high-speed Internet access to nearby residences. New Era Broadband can currently serve ten homes within 1000 feet of the siren tower. The company is planning some upgrades, which would increase that number to thirty.
New Era Broadband is also using the Bashan relay method as a pilot for other parts of its coverage area.
Available Wi-Fi keeps Meigs County firefighters trained and working
Website of the monthhttp://www.teachparentstech.org/about
Teach Parents Tech allows you to select simple tech support videos to e-mail to anyone who could use Internet or computer 101 training.
Social media highlight of the month
Many of your local and state elected officials utilize Twitter to keep Ohioans in-the-know on a real-time platform. You can also find police departments, libraries, health departments and more. By utilizing Twitter’s search function, you can find and follow as many as you like. Visit http://search.twitter.com to follow your favorites and stay up-to-date on topics most important to you.
Find us on social networking sites Connect Ohio can be found on Facebook and Twitter. Join us on these platforms for updates about our efforts to increase broadband availability and access around the state. Share your ideas, comments, questions, videos, pictures, and more with us and other contacts around Ohio.
www.facebook.com/connectohio
www.twitter.com/ConnectOH
eCommunity Strategies NewsletterJanuary 2011
4
Connect Ohio awards Broadband HeroesConnect Ohio’s Executive Director Tom Fritz had the privilege of recognizing two individuals who have been very important to broadband expansion throughout Ohio.
Kingsley Meyer, Director of Campus Computing and Networking at the University of Rio Grande, and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland received Broadband Hero awards at December’s Technical Association Meeting.
Meyer helped establish the University of Rio Grande’s first Internet connection and e-mail system. Today, the university has more than 30 buildings with fiber connections and over 30 public Wi-Fi hotspots. He was influential in bringing AT&T’s DSL to the entire Rio Grande community, including area schools and businesses, and was involved in the creation of a Community Computing Center where he taught classes and installed Wi-Fi equipment in area homes, women’s shelters and churches.
Connect Ohio thanks Mr. Kingsley Meyer for his past and future work in helping to bring technological advances for the southeastern Ohio community.
In 2007, Governor Ted Strickland launched Connect Ohio to help expand broadband services across the state. The Governor recognized the importance of high-speed internet availability to improving the lives of Ohioans and acted on this need.
By working with local communities and broadband providers, Connect Ohio has created detailed maps of broadband coverage in order to accurately pinpoint remaining gaps in availability for Ohioans. The information has helped providers realize new possibilities in state-wide broadband expansion.
Governor Strickland’s launch of Connect Ohio has given additional Ohioans quick and affordable access to high-speed Internet service, as well as providing computers to schools and libraries that had broadband service but lacked computer access.
Connect Ohio thanks Governor Strickland for encouraging broadband deployment to areas underserved by Internet access providers and identifies him as a broadband hero.
Get to Know: Katie BeaumontTitle: Administrative Assistant
Contact information: [email protected], Office: 614.220.0190, Cell: 614.404.3720
Favorite Website: www.columbusunderground.com
What does broadband mean to you? Broadband means staying connected to the people I love that are far away and just around the block, staying connected to what is going on in the world and how I can be involved in making a change in the future.
232 N THirD STrEET, SuiTE 201 l COluMBuS, OH 43215 (614) 220-0190 l TOll FrEE: (866) 881-9424
WWW.CONNECTOHiO.OrGKingsley Meyer accepted his Broadband Hero Award from Tom Fritz at the Technology Association Meeting in December.