Public Power - January/February 2008 - (Page 45) help BVU FOCUS market its services to other companies and municipalities. Those new jobs could bring in as much as an additional $11 million to the Bristol economy, said Jerry Brown, Bristol’s economic development director. “This is a big economic development opportunity,” Brown said. “We have a call center in Bristol for tech support, and I can see that center really expanding. Many municipalities may want to run their own system but not a call center, so there is a lot of potential there.” MI-Connection is expected to be a big economic boon to the towns surrounding Charlotte. “We’re paying $40 million for the system and investing another $20 million to upgrade it because we are committed to a fiber-optic future,” said Webster. “When it comes to recruiting companies to our area, the ability to provide fiber as the data pathway they need is a big advantage. We have had a few companies planning to relocate that liked our area, but they needed a certain amount of broadband capacity that, until now, we couldn’t provide.” Still, the economy is strong in the area MI-Connection will serve because it is a bedroom community of Charlotte. Average home prices in Davis and Cornelius are $500,000. Nearby Morrisville is the headquarters for Lowe’s, and a NASCAR speedway is in the area. “Communities are realizing the benefits of investing in broadband,” said Brown. “Having high-speed broadband in a region can attract new jobs to the area, retain current businesses, raise average salaries, encourage spending, raise property values and enhance the www.APPAnet.org quality of education available.” OptiNet’s broadband service, which has been expanded into seven neighboring rural counties in the western end of Virginia, helped lure Fortune 500 companies CGI Group, Inc. and Northrop Grumman Corp. to build data centers in Russell County. Those two companies provide about 700 jobs to the area, with an average salary of $50,000, which is high for the region. OptiNet currently serves nearly 8,000 customers, including 900 businesses. Meanwhile, the momentum continues for municipalities exploring entrance into broadband. “We have had a steady drumbeat of municipals calling us, but now we are seeing a groundswell of them getting into broadband,” Rosenbalm said. “Congressmen Rick Boucher, D-Va., Fred Upton, R-Mich., and U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and several other senators introduced bills this year that would tear down state barriers to municipal entry. I think an increase in the awareness of municipal broadband has pushed up this interest.” With this level of rising interest, the staff at BVU FOCUS does not expect the phones to quit ringing anytime soon. ❚ Cathy Swirbul, based in Kansas City, specializes in writing for the power industry. Prevent Transformer Explosion and Fire During a transformer short circuit, the TRANSFORMER PROTECTORTM (TP) is activated within milliseconds by the first dynamic pressure peak of the shock wave, avoiding transformer explosions before static pressure increases. Avoids oil fire to transformer and surrounding equipment; Allows transformer repair after internal fault; Minimizes the possibility of environmental pollution by containing the oil; Eliminates risk to human life Works with all oil-filled transformers up to 1,000 MVA and more. For more information call: 281-358-9900 www.transproco.com / info@transproco.com JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008 45 http://www.teainc.org http://www.transproco.com http://www.APPAnet.org
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