JULY 21, 2010 -- Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) has deployed Infinera for a federally-funded broadband stimulus network in southern Virginia to deliver speed, flexibility, and cost-effective scalable bandwidth to schools in southern Virginia.

MBC won a $16 million grant in the first round of the federal broadband stimulus program for a proposal to deliver advanced open-access middle-mile services for 121 K-12 schools in southern Virginia. MBC has moved quickly to implement the project, hiring four new staff members to manage the project, and developing a construction plan for new fiber builds to schools and unserved communities. MBC chief executive Tad Deriso expects the construction work to create around 75 new temporary jobs. Construction work is scheduled to begin later this year, as soon as all federal approvals are secured.

MBC deployed an Infinera DTN network on its 800-mile regional network providing middle-mile connectivity in southern Virginia and to key carrier interconnection points in northern Virginia and the southeast.

The MBC network, which went live in 2006, was cited by President Obama last December as an outstanding example of how publicly-supported middle-mile broadband networks can bring economic and social benefits to unserved, underserved, and economically disadvantaged communities, reveals a representative.