January 05, 2011

KINBER awards contracts to build statewide broadband network

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – Developers of the proposed Pennsylvania Research and Education Network (PennREN) have awarded $118.5 million in contracts that will enable construction to begin later this year on a new high speed broadband network that will greatly expand educational opportunities and healthcare services throughout the Commonwealth. The new network will span more than 1,600 miles through at least 39 counties, many of which have only limited access to broadband services.

PennREN was conceived by representatives of more than a dozen higher education institutions, research and health care organizations and economic development entities that joined together nearly 18 months ago to form the Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER). The group applied for and received nearly $100 million in federal funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to support the PennREN project. The grant was among the largest awarded under the federal stimulus program designed to spur greater broadband access to underserved portions of the country.

“The KINBER initiative represents an historic collaboration among all segments of higher education and health care providers in the Commonwealth,” said Dr. John C. Cavanaugh, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and chairman of the KINBER Board of Directors. “It is a great example of the critical role these institutions can play in determining the future economic viability of the Commonwealth. None of this would have happened without the full support of the founding members who contributed not only their expertise, but also staff and technical assistance throughout the process.”

Contracts for the design and implementation of the PennREN project were awarded to Quanta Services, Inc., and its LLC subsidiaries of Sunesys and Blair Park Services, both of which are based in Warrington. Local and regional workers employed by Sunesys and Blair Park Services will install the fiber optic network. Quanta also will provide $24 million in matching funds to supplement the federal award.

“We are very excited about what this network will mean to Pennsylvania,” said KINBER Executive Director Jeff Reel. “The Commonwealth is one of only a handful of states without a high-speed optical network serving its higher education and health care institutions.

"Once completed, PennREN not only will form interconnections among the vast majority of our institutions of higher learning, but also will provide new opportunities to partner with K-12 schools, increase access to national and federal research centers and enhance the availability of telemedicine and the use of electronic medical records. The quality of life and economic development implications of this network cannot be overstated.”

Construction of the network is set to begin later this year, with the first segments to be completed in early 2012. The main network segments will be fully completed in early 2013, with additional network spurs to be completed by the end of 2013. For a diagram of the PennREN network route map, please go to www.kinber.org.

The KINBER Board of Directors includes representatives of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AICUP); Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Drexel and Lehigh universities; Geisinger Health System; the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania; the PA Commission for Community Colleges; the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; Pennsylvania State University; Public Media Organizations of Pennsylvania; and the universities of Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh.