Fiberutilities Group LLC Announces the Successful Completion of its Three Year Program Management Role with the Iowa Communications Network

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiberutilities Group (FG) today announced the successful completion of its three year program management role with the Iowa Communications Network (ICN).

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The ICN, Iowa's distance learning and state government network, in 2010 received a $16.2 million Broadband Opportunities Program (BTOP) federal grant that, along with the ICN matching funds, resulted in a $24 million upgrade to the statewide network.  The three year operational phase of the project was completed on June 30, 2013.

The network was upgraded to the latest protocols using wavelength division multiplexing providing an initial backbone capacity of ten gigabits per second expandable to 100 gigabits per second in all 99 counties.  The upgrade provides a minimum of one to ten gigabits per second of dedicated, symmetrical, Ethernet connectivity to 1,036 education facilities, hospitals, libraries, public safety, workforce development, and other Community Anchor Institutions throughout the state.

Fiberutilities Group provided project management and technical assistance to the ICN during the course of the project including research and data collection of the project's environmental impacts and prepared the the federally mandated Environmental Assessment.  FG also assisted the ICN with the development and implementation of the project's comprehensive deployment plan, provided general project management, coordinated with sub recipients, assisted with operational resources and offered technical assistance when needed.

David Lingren, Director of the Iowa Communications Network, said, "The role Fiberutilities Group played in the successful completion of the upgrade of ICN network facilities was critical.  The assistance they provided during every phase of the project from concept to completion was instrumental in our ability to complete this extremely complex project on time and under budget."

Scot Eberle, president of Fiberutilities Group, said, "This sort of complex network upgrade is exactly what Fiberutilities Group does.  Planning, building and operating enterprise fiber optic networks represent our core expertise.  We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with the professionals at the ICN and together provide a very important benefit to the people of Iowa."

The ICN BTOP project is currently in a 90 day administrative close out phase that will end on September 30, 2013.

About Fiberutilities Group
Fiberutilities Group has facilitated more than $52 million in private network projects and more than $80 million in federally-funded projects.  It currently manages approximately 12,000 network miles across the Midwest for multiple private clients, including one of the largest private, client-owned, multi-gigabit Ethernet networks in the U.S. In the last two years, Fiberutilities Group has facilitated more than $100 million of private, FCC and ARRA/BTOP-funded network projects. For more information, visit http://www.fiberutilities.com.

Contact:
Rob Smith
Fiberutilities Group, LLC
222 3^rd Ave, S.E.
Suite 500
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
rsmith@fiberutilities.com

SOURCE Fiberutilities Group LLC