Broadband Technology and Opportunities Program (BTOP) fiber expansion bridges gap between rural and urban areas of Central Oregon
BendBroadband, a regional technology leader in broadband, digital cable and communication services, has completed the first phase of its BTOP (Broadband Technology and Opportunities Program) initiative, bringing high speed internet access to Madras residents. La Pine, Sunriver, Madras and Prineville residents will enjoy the same access to high speed internet at the end of November, once the second phase of construction is complete.
“BendBroadband was the natural choice to be the technology partner with the communities to enhance broadband services that are critical to the growth and expansion of Central Oregon. We are excited and proud to part of it,” said Mark Hobbs, BendBroadband’s director of marketing.
The project, funded by BendBroadband and grant money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, included the implementation of a 132-mile fiber ring fulfilling infrastructure needs for health, educational, public safety, and business entities throughout Central Oregon by enabling higher Internet connectivity speeds. A benefit to the overall Central Oregon economy, the project’s goal is to bridge the gap that has existed between rural and urban areas of Central Oregon.
“It’s all about access to technology in today’s business environment,” explained Jason Carr of Economic Development for Central Oregon. “If fiber capacity is offered in our rural areas, cities like Prineville, Madras and LaPine will have a better chance retaining and creating family-wage jobs.”
In addition to enabling business growth, Shirley Metcalf, Dean of Extended Learning at COCC, says the completion of BTOP means schools will now have the connectivity and technology to help train Central Oregon’s future workforce.
“The high-speed Internet connection through Bend Broadband and the BTOP grant have made it possible for us to offer so much more for students at our new campuses in Madras and Prineville,” Metcalf said. “While we can offer the face-to-face instruction, we could not provide the full complement of educational services nor the depth of learning resources without this important infrastructure.”
People interested in finding out more about services available in their area can call 541.382.5551.
About BendBroadband
BendBroadband is a family-owned, local company serving Central Oregon since 1955. A leader in the cable and broadband sectors, the company offers an extensive range of broadband, fiber connectivity, cable television and telephone services for commercial and residential customers. Central Oregon facilities include more than 1500 miles of fiber and coax infrastructure and wireless facilities which cover all Central Oregon communities. Services include metropolitan optical Ethernet, T-1/PRI and hosted PBX services. High-speed Internet options provide speeds up to 100 Mbps, with 1 GigE offerings available. The company serves rural customers over a 4G LTE fixed-wireless network, one of a few such broadband networks in the nation. In 2011, the company opened the BendBroadband Vault, a Tier III, SSAE 16, LEED Gold-certified data center with hosted storage for primary site and disaster recovery needs, equipment colocation and managed services.
BendBroadband was among the first companies in the United States to convert to a 100% digital video signal and offers a spectrum of video services, including multi-room DVR and TV Everywhere service to tablets and mobile devices. BendBroadband focuses its corporate contributions and sponsorship efforts on youth, and by supporting an array of arts and entertainment in Central Oregon. In the community, BendBroadband provides extensive local sports coverage, civic programming and local features created and produced by COTV, channel 11 and 611.
For additional information, please visit www.bendbroadband.comand www.bendbroadbandvault.com.
