We are proud to report the receipt of this project spearheaded by Chamber Member, David Parker, of Parker Fibernet:
Rome, Georgia – August 18, 2010 The U.S. Commerce Department’s NTIA announced the award of a $21M Grant for Northwest Georgia and Eastern Alabama today. The Grant was awarded to Appalachian Valley Fiber Network, a public-private partnership established to develop and expand broadband in the underserved Northwest Georgia and Eastern Alabama areas. Construction of 187 miles of new fiber optic, broadband infrastructure and service is included in the grant. Job creation and business development are closely tied to the availability of high capacity broadband based on a recent technology study commissioned by four counties in Northwest Georgia by the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute. The grant will involve construction projects in Bartow, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk and Walker Counties in Northwest Georgia and along the I-20 Corridor in Cleburne, Calhoun and Clay Counties in Alabama.
In order to secure the grant, 20% local matching funds or in kind contribution was critical. AVFN partners explored several options for the matching funds including the Floyd County Commissions offer of the Floyd County Digital 800 Megahertz Public Safety tower system currently in the planning stages as a possible in kind match. However, the most acceptable local fund match was ultimately supplied by one of the primary private partners of AVFN, Parker FiberNet, LLC of Summerville and Rome. According to Bill Steiner, Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, “NWGRC is extremely proud to be a public partner of this successful effort which was achieved without the commitment of local tax dollars. At a critical stage in the process David Parker and his team leveraged the existing Parker FiberNet network to make this grant possible. Parker and his group have invested in the development of a high capacity broadband infrastructure in our area for several years. This grant is a testament to their determination, entrepreneurial spirit and ongoing commitment to the economic development of Northwest Georgia and Eastern Alabama.”
According to David Parker of Parker FiberNet and partner in AVFN “We are proud to be a part of this project and we believe there is no comparable alternative which provides regional point to point connectivity, a regional data center and reliable, redundant 5 meg to gig, symmetrical bandwidth for government, law enforcement, emergency services, business, and healthcare in Northwest Georgia. There is also no comparable, middle mile fiber service along the Norfolk Southern / I-20 corridor from Bremen, Georgia to Anniston, Alabama with connection to the carrier hotel at 56 Marietta. We are grateful for The Department of Commerce/NTIA investment in this project and in the region.”
Appalachian Valley Fiber Network , LLC is a partnership between Parker FiberNet of Summerville, Georgia and Blue Streak Cable and Telecommunications of Coral Gables Florida. Parker FiberNet operates a fiber network in Northwest and Northeast Georgia and works around the world with the Department of Defense and other clients. Parker’s core network and data center in Rome, Georgia will be the nucleus of the AVFN network.
Blue Streak was founded in 1936 as Beauchamp Construction Company and is a leading commercial contractor in the South Florida region. The telecommunication division of Blue Streak specializes in telecommunications related projects with clients including AT&T and Fujitsu. Blue Streak and its construction parent company operate on a national basis and have a history of successful, large scale construction projects.
Other project partners and key contributors include the Commissioners of Floyd, Polk, Haralson, Paulding, Bartow, Gordon, Chattooga, Walker and Dade Counties; The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Trenton Telephone Company, Calhoun Utilities, Cartersville Fibercom, Citizens for a Digital Future, Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority, Alabama Broadband Initiative, East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission and Georgia Tech Enterprise and Innovation Institute.
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