UNC Charlotte will be the main location for simultaneous statewide ceremonies to celebrate the completion of the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI) by MCNC (Microelectronics Center of North Carolina).
The event, set for 2 to 4 p.m., Friday, June 21, will highlight the reach of the $144 million initiative, which leverages the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) to connect celebrations in four locations: Asheville, Charlotte, Elizabeth City and Research Triangle Park. MCNC president Joe Freddoso will serve as master of ceremonies from the UNC Charlotte location; U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan also will be in attendance.
According to MCNC officials, event participants will learn more about NCREN and the possibilities of a future with bandwidth that scales to any need.
“In 2009, we had a vision to help create an abundance of bandwidth for North Carolina and successfully applied for $104 million in federal funding through the NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program,” wrote Freddoso in a letter on the organization’s website. “In addition to the NTIA BTOP funds, MCNC raised $40 million in private funds, including $10 million from the MCNC endowment and $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation. MCNC broke ground on the first phase in 2010 and then kicked off the second and final phase of the GLRBI on Aug. 12, 2011.”
MCNC is a technology nonprofit that builds, owns and operates a leading broadband infrastructure for North Carolina’s research, education, nonprofit health care and other community institutions. The center’s purpose, according to its website, is to “work with the existing and future connectors to our North Carolina Research and Education Network to identify and meet broadband, network services and application needs that are not currently being met.”
Individuals who are interested in attending one of the four statewide celebrations can register online. The list below is of event speakers and their locations.
- Jack Cecil, president, Biltmore Farms (Asheville)
- Sharon Allred Decker, N.C. Secretary of Commerce (Charlotte)
- U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers (Research Triangle Park)
- N.C. Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (Research Triangle Park)
- Robert Gaines, special assistant to the chancellor, ECSU (Elizabeth City)
- Dan Gerlach, president and CEO, Golden LEAF Foundation (Research Triangle Park)
- Hunter Goosmann, general manager, ERC Broadband (Asheville)
- Peter Karlsson, VP of global sales, CommScope (Asheville)
- Dan Limerick, CEO, RST Communications (Charlotte)
- Trey McMillan, vice president, information services, Vidant Health (Elizabeth City)
- Elizabeth City Mayor Joseph Peel (Elizabeth City)
- U.S. Rep. David Price (Research Triangle Park)
- Tom Rabon, board chairman, MCNC (Research Triangle Park)