News for and about the Internet2 community

[Lauren Rotman <>]

Internet2 Fall Member Meeting Closing General Session Spotlights Innovative Broadband Opportunities 

Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Commerce to share insight on the NTIA BTOP program; Case Western Reserve CIO Lev Gonick to showcase visionary Cleveland broadband project

ANN ARBOR, Mich. November 3, 2010 – Attendees of the Fall 2010 Internet2 Member Meeting in Atlanta will hear firsthand from Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).  As the agency principally responsible for advising the President of the United States on communications and information policies, the NTIA has been charged with administering the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), with the goal of expanding broadband access and adoption across the U.S. The research and education community that makes up the Internet2 membership has been a major recipient of BTOP funding aimed at jumpstarting the expansion of broadband capabilities to community anchor institutions across the U.S. Strickling’s talk will highlight this important program.

Lev Gonick, CIO and vice president at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, will follow Strickling and will be spotlighting the university’s visionary “Case Connection Zone” project, which is bringing gigabit fiber connections to homes in underserved and impoverished Cleveland neighborhoods.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University believe broadband, along with training, computers and other broadband-enabled devices, may be a critical factor in improving the lives of these neighborhoods’ residents. In collaboration with 40 community partners—including health care providers, public safety agencies, educational institutions and industry —the project aims to evaluate the impact that 1 Gbps broadband access to the home has on neighborhood and community safety, health care and wellness, energy management and sustainability, and improving high school-age student competency in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects.

To view the full Fall 2010 Internet2 Member Meeting program, visit http://events.internet2.edu/2010/fall-mm/.

The second general session will be held on November 4, 2010, 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM and will be netcast for worldwide viewing.  
For more info: http://bit.ly/anqaWo

ABOUT INTERNET2
Internet2 is an advanced networking consortium led by the research and education community. An exceptional partnership spanning U.S. and international institutions who are leaders in the worlds of research, academia, industry and government, Internet2 is developing breakthrough cyberinfrastructure technologies that support the most exacting applications of today—and spark the most essential innovations of tomorrow. Led by its members and focused on their current and future networking needs since 1996, Internet2 blends its human, IP and optical networks to develop and deploy revolutionary Internet technologies. Activating the same partnerships that produced today’s Internet, our community is forging the Internet of the future. For more information, see http://www.internet2.edu.

Media Contact:
Lauren Rotman

202.331.5345