WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 8, 2010 - Arent Fox LLP congratulates its client Internet2 (also known as University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development) on receiving an award of more than $62.5 million in federal stimulus funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on July 2. NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awarded the funds to a group of national research and education networking organizations led by Internet2, which includes National LambdaRail, Indiana University and the Northern Tier Network Consortium.

Arent Fox, led by Alan Fishel, a partner in the firm’s Telecommunications Practice, assisted in the application process and the overall effort to receive the stimulus funding for Internet2 and its coalition partners. Mr. Fishel stated "I had the opportunity to work with some of the finest professionals in the industry at Internet2 with respect to this matter, and I have no doubt that community anchors throughout the nation will greatly benefit as a result of this award."

The Internet2-led group, in collaboration with technology companies Ciena, Cisco, Infinera, and Juniper Networks, propose the construction of a 100 Gigabit per second network backbone that will link regional networks across the nation, including other projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Internet2 and the proposal partners will contribute nearly $35 million to the project.

In announcing the grant to the Internet2 coalition, the Obama Administration wrote: “This $62.5 million grant with an additional $34.3 million applicant provided match will interconnect more than 30 existing research and educational networks, creating a nation-wide high-capacity network that will enable advanced networking features for more than 100,000 essential community anchor institutions. University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development estimates that this project will directly create hundreds of jobs upfront and help drive economic development in the community that creates jobs for years to come. The United States Unified Community Anchor Network (U.S. UCAN) project proposes a large-scale, public-private partnership to interconnect more than 30 existing research and education networks. This Comprehensive Community Infrastructure project is designed to span all 50 states and every network.”

To read the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development Project Fact Sheet prepared by BTOP, please click here:
http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/files/grantees/ALL_USCAID.pdf

If you have further questions about the issues raised in this release, please contact the Arent Fox attorney you work with or a member of Arent Fox’s Telecommunications practice group.

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