Special to WRAL Tech Wire
(Editor’s note: MCNC is nearing completion of the first stage of a $144 million expansion of the North Carolina Research and Education Network. Funded through $104 million in federal BTOP grants and another $40 million in matching funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation, private partners and MCNC’s Endowment, the project will be complete in 2013. To commemorate the launch and progress of the project, MCNC is celebrating “12 Days of Broadband” in a series of blog posts between Dec. 8-23. These will be published in WRAL Tech Wire.)
Day 10: N.C. School Connectivity Initiative gets 3-year extension
The N.C. School Connectivity Initiative (SCI) is the culmination of several years of vision surrounding the 21st century classroom, and developing a North Carolina workforce poised to meet the challenges of a global economy.
All 115 K-12 school districts in North Carolina were connected to the North Carolina Research and Education (NCREN) in 2009 through the SCI. In 2011, MCNC and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction agreed to extend the program for another three years – a critical step to helping prepare today’s students for careers of tomorrow.
By 2013, the multi-million expansion of NCREN through the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative will create an unmatched broadband infrastructure in North Carolina. This dedicated fiber network will further enhance NCREN’s exemplary resiliency and reliable track record, and the extension of the SCI will allow public schools to continue utilizing a world-class network with virtually unlimited potential. Read full story.
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