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BOAF Grantees Synopses

07-08 BOAF Projects

06-07 BOAF Projects

 

07-08 BOAF Projects

Grantee: Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of PA
Project Name: AICUP - Broadband Networks Outreach and Aggregation
Project Synopsis:

The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AICUP) project will organize joint telecommunications aggregation projects along regional lines for colleges and universities in Pennsylvania. There is anticipation in creating three to five regional networks within the scope of this grant over the next three years. The AICUP approach follows the four-phase process of other successful networking projects in Pennsylvania: research and outreach, planning, execution and network expansion. AICUP will establish benchmarks for technology services identify gaps in available resources and analyze the capabilities of regional organizations, including telecommunications providers.A Strategic Learning Plan (SLP) will address applications sharing over the network. It After collecting and analyzing information about project participants, AICUP will prepare and issue up to five different Requests for Proposals (RFP) (or equivalent tool) related to the procurement of regional college networks, this entails components related to discovery, resourcing, development, and documentation. The outcome will be successful execution of telecommunications contracts creating regional networks. AICUP will help assist with procurement decisions, contract execution, transition to network construction and network expansion to additional members.

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Grantee: Technology Council of Central PA
Project Name: TCCP - Emergency Management Communications Plan
Project Synopsis:

The Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania is a non-profit technology trade association focused on leading efforts in technology deployment, technology infrastructure deployment, workforce development and industry partnerships. The Council has formed a Board of Advisors ("BOA") to oversee, manage, promote and assist in the Major User Aggregation Project. The following Goals and Intended Outcomes (Deliverables) are part of this grant application, which seeks to create and implement an Emergency Management Communications Plan. The Emergency Management Agency’s mission is to rapidly and reliably communicate in times of preparation and response to man-made and natural disasters. Their expertise and knowledge will guide the TCCP to communicate with this phase of the communications plan. In addition to other entities, TCCP is adding the PA American Red Cross and their PA Chapters within each county as supporting and participating organizations. The project geographic scope shall include all or portions of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York Counties. Throughout the project, the Technology Council will implement effective communications with stakeholders, partners and customers. TCCP will implement a plan to improve the broadband connectivity of the communities. TCCP intend to prioritize based on the needs of the region and the partners. The vehicle for improvement may be one or more BFRR programs implemented, a cooperative procurement or negotiations with a service provider to meet a specific need. The project scope is expanded to identify and develop BFRR opportunities in the six (6) county regions.   Engage Legislators, local municipalities, Emergency Service Providers, health care in education concerning capability, use and procurement of broadband services.

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Grantee: PA e-Commerce Association
Project Name: PA Ecommerce - Warren/McKean Counties Outreach and Aggregation Project
Project Synopsis:

The PA e-Commerce Association is working with community champions and numerous municipalities. The Association accomplished objectives from a Grant in FY 06-07 and produced 3 DVD recordings of webinars that will prove to be useful to the Association and other partnerships that will develop. Pa e-commerce proposes to perform outreach and aggregation in Potter, and McKean counties. They will pursue BFRR and BARP endeavors with the collaboration of the American Red Cross Elk County Chapter, and region stakeholders. Organizations such as economic development organizations, county and municipal governments and local libraries will be approached. With these collaborations and the proven record of the Association, a positive outcome is ensured that will promote broadband not only in Potter, and McKean and counties but also in Elk and Cameron counties. The Association will develop a 30 second public service announcement on BFRR/BARP and encourage placement on rural radio stations within the targeted communities. The Association will develop a print advertising campaign to be placed in rural newspapers within the targeted communities. The Association will establish a toll free number for those responding to advertising and public relations campaigns.

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Grantee: PA Medical Society
Project Name: PA Med - Connect the Docs II
Project Synopsis:

The PA Medical Society’s goals are to accelerate the adoption and use of the following applications by physicians and health care providers statewide: Electronic medical records and electronic prescribing; Secure exchange of electronic medical records among physicians and other health care providers; Telehealth/telemedicine/teleradiology applications and, online education and training for physicians and their staff. Achieving these goals will require focused outreach and education to Pennsylvania’s healthcare community and expanded access to reliable high-speed broadband. The Pennsylvania Medical Society was awarded a BOAF grant in FY06-07 to begin the first phase of a multi-phase project to assess the broadband connectivity of physicians and other healthcare community and other partners. Branded “ConnectTheDocs,” these efforts, were coordinated with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Governor’s Office to ensure alignment with broader Health Information Technology (HIT) policies and objectives. The Phase I connectivity assessment survey indentified not only a statewide interest, but specific regions Northwest PA: Erie, Crawford, Warren, Mercer, Venango, Forest, Clarion, and Lawrence counties and East Central PA: Carbon, Monroe, Lehigh, Northampton, and Bucks counties with an immediate need/desire for broadband procurement.  

The PA Medical Society will launch physician-specific outreach efforts, focused on educating and informing physicians regarding the benefits and uses of broadband in their practices and applications that require or are enhanced by broadband. Such efforts will include educational offerings and decision resource tools using various mediums, such as live meetings, webinars, podcasts, written materials, and further development of similar resources on the web site.

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Grantee: Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program
Project Name: PennTAP - PA Wilds Broadband
Project Synopsis:

The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) of the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) has a long history of supporting technology development initiatives that draw upon the technical, managerial, and administrative elements of the organization. Starting with PennTAP’s Y-2K Assessment Program and continuing through the E-Commerce Technical Assistance Program (E-TAP) and the Cluster-Based Information Technology (CBIT) Initiative. This team will be comprised of Information Technology (IT) specialists who can speak to the issues impacting the travel and tourism industry, local government needs, and the application of broadband to schools, businesses and healthcare activities. PennTAP has maintained a presence of Information Technology specialists in the region covered by the PA Wilds initiative. The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) of the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) proposes to create, manage, administer, and execute a Broadband Outreach and Aggregation Fund-supported outreach program directed towards political subdivisions, economic development entities, schools, health care facilities, businesses, and residential customers throughout the PA Wilds region promoting the benefits, use, and procurement of broadband services. As part of its ongoing efforts, PennTAP will develop a mechanism to quantify the number of broadband activities conducted and interest expressed. In newly enabled broadband areas, the PennTAP team will assist companies that are ready to exploit their increased connectivity by providing advanced information technology assistance (i.e. website design, connectivity solutions, internet products and services, IT disaster recovery, etc.).

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Grantee: Pennsylvania Public Television Network
Project Name: PPTN - Analog to Digital Outreach / Statewide Broadband Outreach
Project Synopsis:

The Pennsylvania Public Television Network (PPTN) is a non-profit Television association, focusing on technology, lifestyle, workforce development, and much more. PPTN’s public broadcasting membership network has grown to eight (8) stations reaching 98% of the state’s 12 million plus citizens. PPTN’s stations have a proven track record of television production at the local and national level, and provide significant educational training and support to the communities they serve. PPTN, as an independent state commission receives an annual appropriation from the General Assembly. Our executive and technical/operational staff complement includes 20 individuals. PPTN proposes to develop a RFP among affiliate stations to produce a 60-minute program on the topic of Digital Divide. The program will promote the benefits, use, and procurement of broadband, highlight the BFRR, BARP, and BOAF programs, share best practices and success stories, and feature broadband industry leaders, etc. PPTN will produce and broadcast a 30-minute program referencing the analog to digital transition, providing awareness and information required for the smooth transition slated for February 17, 2009. Thirdly, PPTN will produce 15-30 second television Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) and 15- 30 second radio spot PSA broadcasting in English and Spanish to assist in reaching intermittent viewers. PPTN also will develop and distribute a high quality pamphlet/brochure related to the analog to digital transition and federal “converter box coupon program.” These programs and collateral materials will be broadcast and distributed among PPTN’s affiliates. PPTN will also provide a summer internship program to assist with the Datacast rollout and other broadcast related opportunities. DCED will approve the RFP issued to the stations, will be engaged in the selection process, and will have pre-production input on the materials produced.

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Grantee: American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania
Project Name: Red Cross - Broadband Networks Outreach and Aggregation
Project Synopsis:

The American Red Cross’ broadband project objective is to prepare and execute a distance education plan for better serving their community. The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania is a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers and funded by local charitable contributions. The Elk-Cameron Chapter provides quality education and training to save lives and avert tragedies in northern Pennsylvania. The Red Cross will be sure to explore the feasibility of creating online courses besides the health-related offerings emphasized in this grant application. The communities of Elk and Cameron counties are isolated rural counties needing better access to health literacy resources such as First Aid, CPR, HIV and AIDS Education, Family Care Giving for seniors and disabled adults, Babysitters Training and Preventing Disease Transmission. The American Red Cross chapter serving Elk and Cameron counties has the potential to provide health literacy training and education to the diverse community populations in need, including schoolchildren, young families, and aging retirees. The Red Cross proposes collaborative efforts with PA e-Commerce and will seek additional resources from other BOAF grantee’s and local stakeholders. Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit 9 and Cameron and Elk School Districts recently conducted a major upgrade of their telecommunications capabilities, which has spilled over into the non-educational marketplace. The Red Cross intends to draw upon their expertise to answer important telecommunications related questions. The Red Cross will coordinate with and support the efforts of the PA e-Commerce Association regarding the BFRR program. This will include helping to identify communities for BFRR petitions within Elk and Cameron counties and providing support for executing those requests.

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Grantee: Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission
Project Name: SAP&DC - Regional Outreach
Project Synopsis:

The Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission / Rural Education and Aggregation of Community Telecommunications (RE-ACT) program contends to provide Outreach and Aggregation within its six counties. Focus will be on the uses, opportunities, and procurement of broadband services. SAP&DC will outreach with community sparkplugs, news releases, special community and local leadership events, as well as collaborations with and partnerships with Penn State Cooperative, Appalachian Regional Commission, TCCP, Center for e-Business, and other organizations. The LDD recognizes the importance of broadband to the education facilities, economic and community needs, health care facilities, public safety and awareness. This project supports the Southern Alleghenies Regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), the goals of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Pennsylvania’s Strategy Statement for use of Appalachian Regional Commission funds, and the Keystone Principles for Growth, Investment & Resource Conservation to provide efficient infrastructure and to increase job opportunities. The ultimate goal of this outreach and aggregation project is to expand affordable broadband services to communities and customer service areas (CSA) that do not currently have access to these modern services. This goal will be accomplished through educational outreach and customer aggregation at a community and CSA level through the Bona Fide Retail Request Program (BFRR) as established by Act 183 – Pennsylvania’s telecommunications law. Recruit Community Sparkplugs – The SAP&DC will receive inquiries from communities interested in BFRR and businesses in BARP assistance. Upon request, the SAP&DC will provide community leaders information and assistance regarding the broadband and BFRR/BARP process. The SAP&DC will work closely with the community sparkplugs and to approach telecommunications providers to obtain and analyze CSA maps. Throughout the process, the SAP&DC will serve as a liaison between the community and the telecommunications provider.

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Grantee: SEDA – Council of Governments
Project Name: SEDA-COG - Attracting Broadband to Communities
Project Synopsis:

SEDA-COG is a non-profit organization, focusing on technology, health care, education, and workforce development. They have developed and proven their aggregation efforts with numerous qualifying BFRR communities, while developing strong partnerships within their region. SEDA-COG’s Information Technologies Group (ITG) has been championing the implementation of connectivity in business and government for many years. Most recently, the Rural Education/Aggregation of Community Telecommunications (RE/ACT) program pioneered methods to market, create, and successfully complete Bona Fide retail Requests (BFFR’s) in the very rural parts of the central region of PA. The goal of this outreach and aggregation project is to expand affordable broadband services to communities and customer service areas (CSA) that do not currently have access to these modern services. This goal will be accomplished through educational outreach to employers and customer aggregation Bona Fide Retail Request Program (BFRR) targeting their employees. In developing collaborations, large employers with diverse workforces in the health care, technology, and education industries will be targeted. These influential partners will be essential in developing the information and support needed to expand regional high-speed Internet services.

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Grantee: Southwest PA Planning Commission
Project Name: SWPC - Connecting your Community
Project Synopsis:

The Southwest Planning Commission (SPC) is the LDD located in the Southwest region of Pennsylvania, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh. SPC covers a nine county region including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland. In order for Pennsylvania to stay competitive, the Southwest Commission aims to attract and/or retain businesses and improve the quality of life of residents within the Commonwealth. Through outreach and aggregation of communities, specifically utilizing the BFRR program, SPC will continue its efforts stemming from their 2007 BOAF grant.

The goal of this project will be accomplished through educational outreach and customer aggregation at a community and CSA level through the Bona Fide Retail Request Program (BFRR) as established by Act 183 – Pennsylvania’s telecommunications law. There are 29 broadband providers in the SPC region and every effort to identify and promote communities to these providers is the intent of this proposal. Additional efforts will involve businesses as to their needs for broadband and the capabilities for growth utilizing the Business Attraction or Retention Program (BARP).

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Grantee: Northwest PA Regional Planning and Development Commission
Project Name: NWRP&DC - Northwest Regional Outreach and Aggregation Project
Project Synopsis:

The Northwest Commission Rural Education/Aggregation of Community Telecommunications (RE/ACT) Program was implemented by virtue of the Broadband Outreach and Aggregation Fund on March 20, 2007. In just five months, the program had demonstrated definitive success in aggregating demand for broadband connectivity through the Bona Fide Retail Request (BFRR) program and raised awareness of broadband issues in underserved communities in northwest Pennsylvania. The continuing efforts of an outreach and aggregation project area will cover the eight (8) rural counties of northwest Pennsylvania including Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, and Warren. This project will continue and extend a targeted outreach program concerning the benefits, use, and procurement of broadband services in a multi-county region. Additionally, the acceleration of the BFRR and BARP programs will intensify with the ongoing efforts The goal of this outreach and aggregation project is to leverage the Bona Fide Retail Request Program and Business Attraction and Retention Program to expand affordable broadband services to communities and businesses that do not currently have access to these modern services and/or challenge in upgrading these services to accommodate current business needs. Educating local leadership and identifying additional collaborations will be a focus for the NWRPDC, which will accentuate their program. The entire project will identify and collaborate with other BOAF recipients. In addition, Union City Pride located within IU5 is an identified educational collaboration.

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Grantee: World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh
Project Name: WAC - Broadband Outreach
Project Synopsis:

The purpose of the World Affairs Council (WAC) grant is to gain support for the long-term strategy of expanded community outreach through the use of broadband technology in the educational programs and, therefore, to build awareness of the benefits of broadband service in the community. The use of this technology will allow more businesses, community groups, and schools to become internationally connected and globally competitive. WAC intends to expand their outreach to businesses, schools, and the broader community, while promoting the use of broadband technology and helping those in the community successfully navigate the BFRR process. The Council, in addition to providing material for broadband use, will also successfully aggregate the BFRR process, identify campaign success, maintain and provide campaign literature, and promote community relations and public discussions around the use of broadband technology. WAC partnership with Southside Beaver High School and the new G.A.I.N. initiative, there have been steps taken to build a community based network for students and teachers throughout the entire region. The site will allow students to see the benefits of broadband though webcasting, podcasting, messaging, and general interactivity. In addition to building up the wiki site for high school students and teachers, the Council will make worldaffairspittsburgh.org website (this site gets an average of 70,000 hits per month) more interactive and appealing by using RSS to syndicate upcoming programs listed on the home page, making the radio interviews available as podcasts, and integrating media blogging tools with audio and video capabilities. The Council will also utilize local radio stations to get the word out about the BFRR process. Specifically, will advertise the campaign in three publicity spots throughout the year on KQV 1410 AM, reaching 26,000 listeners per week. WAC weekly radio program airs, Pittsburgh Global Press Conference on this same station. The Council has a relationship with Peters Township Public Library in Washington County and plan to grow that partnership to include programs that would focus on the benefits of the use of broadband. The Council is will seek the opportunity to collaborate with Pittsburgh Technology Council and Southwest Commission LDD and other local and regional resources.

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Grantee: Technology Council of Central PA
Project Name: TCCP - Major Users Aggregation Project-Somerset County
Project Synopsis:

The Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania is a non-profit technology trade association focused on leading efforts in technology deployment, technology infrastructure deployment, workforce development and industry partnerships. Since September 2005, the Council has lead and operated the Pennsylvania Telecommunications Task Force, the Technology and Telecommunications Industry Partnership and the Technology & Medicine Industry Partnership, Presently. The Tech & Med Partnership has more than 411 members from 197 different organizations across Pennsylvania. Additionally, the Project will contract with expert industry specialists and consultants to deploy the best possible project design, benchmarking and deployment. The Major Users Aggregation Project will Identify the largest broadband users (and potential users) across various industry sectors, especially focused on a presence in health care, engineering and educational facilities and their large broadband needs and uses. The project will help foster additional relationships with technology content and technology applications, like eLearning, websites, and networks for community groups, schools, government, public safety and other entities. TCCP will conduct Marketing and Promoting of the Major Users Project-Somerset which will attract local and national media attention, providing Pennsylvania with excellent media coverage on its attractiveness for business. Demand-Driven Aggregation Projects - Upon determination of the best-match regional/inter-regional capabilities, the Project will develop appropriate and detailed bid/RFP packages with aggressive benchmark matrix and completion dates. Then, the bid/RFP projects will be publicized, marketed, reviewed and deployed. Finally, best practices will be developed and presented to help future projects.

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06-07 BOAF Projects


Grantee: PA Ecommerce Association
Project Name: PA Ecommerce
Project Synopsis:

PA E-Commerce association proposes to develop (4) pod casts (webinars) in conjunction with coordinated training pamphlets on broadband accessibility and new technologies. The series of pod casts (webinars) will highlight business applications that are broadband dependent. PA Ecommerce recognizes that many rural areas of the Commonwealth have little or no access to affordable high speed internet connections.

Grantee will begin each pod cast (webinar) with information on the Commonwealth’s BFRR program and demand aggregation efforts. Pod casts (Webinars) will then highlight alternative and emerging technologies such as Broadband over Power Lines (BPL), WiFi, WiMax and Satellite. The pod casts (webinars) will effectively provide industry data on affordable or accessible service other than hard lined/fiber technology, as well as highlighting the business case for broadband investment in hard lined/fiber technology. These broadband technologies are of evident concern to business and residential applications/requirements.

The focus of delivery to targeted counties will be those within Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Regional Commission Area (ARC). These counties are Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming. These areas fall within the service areas of North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission, Clarion SBDC, Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission and the University of Scranton SBDC.

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Grantee: Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging (PANPHA)
Project Name: BOAF Grant for Long Term Care Study
Project Synopsis:

PANPHA is an association of Pennsylvania-based nonprofit senior care facilities (representing over 330 nonprofit providers) whichrecognizes that many senior care providers lack the necessary broadband network connectivity and infrastructure needed for today’s health care. Broadband network technology would enhance and provide leverage through the various benefits associated with integrated information, communications, quality of life and pertinent telemedicine applications. These applications may not only reduce costs to providers and insurers, but can also provide clients with increased availability to specialized care and access to various quality-of-life enhancements associated with senior health care and all health care.

During the span of a proposed dual pilot project,one rural and one suburban, PANPHA will develop an initial communications strategy highlighting the benefits for senior care providers,one in the Jefferson County area and another in the Bucks County area. Grantee will collect relevant information from providers located within these two regions with respect to their technology network capacity (including information on current cost associated with providers for Internet or related telecommunications services). Grantee will successfully facilitate BFRRs within its area in order to complete the aggregate demand process with 2 implementations projected, one being in Bucks County and one in Jefferson County with each to include a senior health care facility. PANPHA will establish a benchmark for broadband network services, identify gaps in resources, and explore additional external funding sources.

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Grantee: SEDA – Council of Governments (SEDA-COG)
Project Name: Rural Education/Aggregation of Community Telecommunications (RE/ACT)
Project Synopsis:

SEDA-COG covers eleven (11) rural counties of central Pennsylvania including Clinton, Lycoming, Centre, Union, Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, Snyder, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry. There will be an 11-county outreach program regarding benefits, use and procurement of broadband. Grantee proposes to reach out with 6 newsletter articles, 30 education sessions, and implementation of 8 BFRRs.

SEDA-COG will receive inquiries through community outreach measures from individuals within communities interested in obtaining BFRR assistance. Grantee will provide those people, as well as community, business, and political leaders, information regarding the BFRR process and the deployment of broadband. Those who show interest, leadership, and passion will be recruited as a sparkplug for that community. SEDA-COG will work closely with the community sparkplugs in approaching the telecommunications provider to obtain and analyze CSA maps. The maps will be digitized and provided via web services along with ortho photos, demographic data, and other data layers. The maps will show routes and sections of the CSA which will be utilized to create strategies for organizing marketing efforts.

Educational opportunities will be seized in both formal settings (classroom) and informal gatherings (community events). Partnering with and use of educational materials from a variety of resources such as: Center for eBusiness and Advanced IT, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Appalachian Regional Commission, Associations such as the Telework Coalition, andLocal Development Districts participating in similar projects.

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Grantee: Claysville Area Preservation and Revitalization Initiative
Project Name: Claysville Area Preservation and Revitalization Initiative (CAPRI)
Project Synopsis:

Claysville Area Preservation and Revitalization Initiative (CAPRI) will utilize Broadband Outreach & Aggregation Fund (BOAF) monies to improve the availability of broadband in the greater Claysville area of Washington County. CAPRI is partnering with McGuffey School District and Intermediate Unit 1. CAPRI will receive funds over a 2 year period to fully implement the program.

Grantee will successfully implement at least 3 BFRR demand aggregation projects for residential/small business DSL. CAPRI will conduct a commercial demand aggregation project for business-class services andaccelerate interactions between the McGuffey School District/Intermediate Unit 1 Regional WAN and the community at large. Grantee will facilitate the development of at least one significant broadband-delivered application between a community organization and school district. In addition, at the end of a two-year process, CAPRI and its partners seek to establish a sustainable organization that can continue to conduct outreach and aggregation activities.

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Grantee: Lehigh Carbon Community College
Project Name: Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC)
Project Synopsis:

Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) will develop and launch a business plan for delivering the next generation of distance learning applications to students and residents of Carbon, Lehigh and Schuylkill counties. LCCC expects to expand regional capabilities for taking online courses, understand the needs of regional school districts as they apply to the WAN, and evaluate the community’s technical resources for distance education. Grantee will effectively assess the district needs with community resources and design a sustainable business plan, demonstrate success by launching one College-School District project, improve communications between LCCC and regional schools regarding technology.

LCCC’s online courses are dependent upon the availability of broadband, and in the LCCC service region residential access is not adequate. Two of the three counties served within the LCCC’s catchment region have significant gaps in Broadband coverage. Grantee seeks to improve access to broadband by identifying and executing three (3) successful BFRR petitions within the regions. In addition to providing benefits to the community, the effective results will be directly related to the LCCC’s core business model for distance education.

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Grantee: Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance
Project Name: Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA)
Project Synopsis:

Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA) will implement a work program designed to aggregate customer demand within seven NEPA county regions consisting of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne counties. Specific focus will be on communities that currently lack adequate broadband services. NEPA will undertake a comprehensive educational outreach program to provide information regarding the benefits, uses and available opportunities through broadband connectivity. Through this program, NEPA asserts to assist the Commonwealth with addressing the lack of broadband connectivity in areas of the NEPA regions and work to foster economic growth within Northeastern Pennsylvania through broadband connectivity measures.

NEPA proposes that with broadband articles published in news media and newsletters, up to 1 million potential readers will be exposed to broadband benefits/uses via news media and newsletters. There will be multiple communities assisted with BFRR efforts with a final project completion of 4 BFRRs. Additionally, NEPA will conduct broadband education sessions with an expected 150 participants from the communities within the regions involved.There will also be numerous broadband discussion sessions involving local leaders with an expected 30 participants from the local leadership communities.

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Grantee: Northwest PA Regional Planning and Development Commission
Project Name: Rural Education/Aggregation of Community Telecommunications (RE/ACT)
Project Synopsis:

The Northwest Commission will advertise assistance to communities within the region that are interested in pursuing the BFRR process, utilizing news articles and advertisements in local news media throughout the region. Grantee will publish information in the Chambers of Commerce newsletters and other news publications. There will be information posted on LDD and partner websites, and other promotional methods as deemed appropriate. The Commission will provide community, business, and political leader’s information regarding the BFRR process and the deployment of broadband. Grantee proposes to reach out with 6 newsletter articles with a potential of 250,000 readers, 16 education sessions incorporating a potential 240 participants, and 8 communities assisted with BFRR process and an implementation of 5 successful BFRR’s.

The Commission will also work with local technology experts to educate the general community population and also target specific community sectors on how broadband services will enhance their profits and save company resources. Those who show interest, leadership, and passion will be recruited as sparkplugs within the community and the Grantee will work closely with those community sparkplugs to assist in facilitating the BFRR process.

Northwest PA Commission will utilize existing BFRR aggregation forms from participating telephone companies to aggregate customers for broadband service as per the BFRR program requirements. The Commission will sponsor and host educational events for local leaders representing local government officials, economic development, workforce, and tourism officials to make them aware of the significant impact of broadband availability on business attraction, retention, expansion, entrepreneurship, tourism, and workforce development.

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Grantee: Pennsylvania Medical Society
Project Name: Pennsylvania Medical Society
Project Synopsis:

With nearly 18,000 member physicians, the Pennsylvania Medical Society recognizes that many physicians lack the broadband network connectivity necessary to use integrated medical records systems, access real-time medical information, enable telehealth and telemedicine applications, or access rich-media continuous training and education materials. Grantee recognizes that most common health information technology (HIT) applications, electronic medical records (EMR), computerized patient order entry (CPOE), personal health records (PHR), and electronic prescribing have a value compassionate to the technology.

Grantee will identify and coordinate the activities of “project partners” who will help lead this effort in various regions and assist in the statewide outreach campaign. Proposed stakeholders expected to include are: Pennsylvania eHealth Initiative; select health IT companies; technology councils (west, central & east); medical schools (e.g., UPMC, PSU, Penn, Drexel); select policy makers and community leaders from the state and local level; and, interested insurance companies (e.g., the Blues, Health America, etc).

There will be a “network technology strength and weakness” survey issued to almost all physicians involving the approximate 30,000 within Pennsylvania, with a statewide target assessment response of 25%. There will also be an additional target assessment of 25-50% of hospitals.The hospital assessment will primarily focus on telecommunications infrastructure and needs.Grantee willidentify potential partners from the community who may be useful allies and add value to proposed broadband initiatives.Outreach and partnerships will include regional clinics, hospitals and involvement in regional or local meetings.

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Grantee: Pocono Mountain Industries (PMI)
Project Name: Pocono Mountain Broadband Outreach and Aggregation Project
Project Synopsis:

This grant will be used to implement several important recommendations identified and developed by the PMI 2005 study entitled, “State of Advanced Telecommunications in Monroe County.” From the study it was concluded that the aggregate of communities demand for high-capacity broadband services will provide results of a completion of up to three (3) BFRR petitions for residential/small-business broadband. In addition, Grantee also proposes a completion of one (1) commercial aggregate project consisting of a buyer/vendor survey and procurement process. The project will consist of a needs assessment, presentations to communities, and develop an application process.

Pocono Mountain Industries will assist in finding ways for schools to use their new bandwidth. Grantee will complete a community broadband project with K-12 schools, using their new regional WAN.PMI will conduct marketing of the regional technology strengths building upon the efforts already underway to promote broadband throughout the region. Grantee will successfully promote and execute the BFRR process, identify campaign success, establish at least 2 successful BFRRs, maintain and provide campaign literature, promote public relations, and community discussions.

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Grantee: Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission (SAP & DC)
Project Name: SAP & DC Rural Education & Aggregation of Community Telecomm.
Project Synopsis:

The SAP&DC, has close working relationships with communities in its region and will play a critical role in helping these communities successfully navigate the BFRR process. SAP&DC will gather information and maintain a library of literature on the benefits, uses, and procurement of broadband and the BFRR process. SAP&DC will advertise and promote within the region the advantages of broadband and the BFRR process utilizingnews articles and advertisements in local newspapers in the region. Chamber of Commerce newsletters, LDD and partner websites, and other methods deemed appropriate will enhance the projects potential. Grantee proposes to reach out with 6 newsletter articles with a potential of 250,000 readers, 16 education sessions incorporating a potential 240 participants, and 8 communities assisted with the BFRR process resulting in an implementation of 5 successful BFRRs.

From results of community outreach potential leaders who show interest, leadership, and passion will be recruited as community sparkplugs. The SAP&DC will work closely with the community sparkplugs to approach the telecommunications providers in order to obtain and analyze CSA maps. This provides a tool when approaching neighborhoods within the mapped CSA region and identifies others that may be interested in committing to broadband service. SAP&DC will partner with community leaders and hold community meetings to promote awareness of broadband and encourage participation. SAP&DC will partner with Cambria County to conduct additional broadband educational events throughout Cambria County.Throughout the process, the SAP&DC will serve as a liaison between the community and the telecommunications provider.

Broadband education activities will focus on the benefits and uses of broadband, including specific user applications, and procurement of broadband services. The Grantee will partner with and use educational materials from a variety of resources, including but not limited to Local Development Districts (LDD), Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Penn State Cooperative Extension, Center for e-Business, and Telecommuting Alliance.SAP&DC will sponsor and host educational events for local leadership, including local government officials, community leaders, and economic and workforce development professionals in the region.

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Grantee: Southwestern Pennsylvania Corporation
Project Name: Southwestern Pennsylvania Corporation Broadband
Project Synopsis:

This project will implement a targeted outreach program concerning the benefits, use, and procurement of broadband services within a multi-county region. The Grantee goal will be accomplished through educational outreach and customer aggregation at a community and CSA level through the Bona Fide Retail Request (BFRR) program. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission will advertise and promote BFRR assistance to communities within the regions, provide articles with the Chambers of Commerce and other newsletters, and post information on Local Development District (LDD) and partner websites. Grantee proposes to reach out with 6 newsletter articles with a potential of 250,000 readers, 9 education sessions incorporating a potential 240 participants, and 9 communities assisted with the BFRR process resulting in an implementation of 5 successful BFRRs.

Grantee will provide community, business, and political leaders information regarding the BFRR process and those who show interest, leadership, and passion will be recruited as a sparkplug for that community. Grantee will work closely with the community sparkplugs to effectively approach the telecommunications provider so to obtain and analyze CSA maps. Community sparkplugs can use this information to approach neighborhoods within the mapped CSA region and identify others that may be interested in committing to broadband service. Grantee will provide community, business, and political leaders information regarding the BFRR process and the deployment of broadband. Southwest Pennsylvania Corporation will sponsor and host educational events for local leaders representing local government officials, economic development, local workforce, and tourism officials to make them aware of the significant impact of broadband connectivity with emphases on business attraction, retention, expansion, entrepreneurship, tourism, and workforce development.

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Grantee: Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania - (TCCP)
Project Name: The Major User’s Aggregation Project
Project Synopsis:

This Project will build on existing efforts to aggregate broadband demand in the greater Harrisburg area with an emphasis on connecting hard-to-serve sectors in the most rural parts of the region to the more advanced urban telecommunication’s networks. TCCP is an organization made up of telecommunications buyers and sellers alike, this Project must provide benefits to both. The benefits to the buyers will be ready-made and identifiable opportunities for lower broadband prices, and better services. The benefits to the sellers will be ready-made and identifiable opportunities, higher revenues and more productive investments.

TCCP will survey large users of telecommunications services to determine what telecommunications services they are currently buying, what applications they are currently using, what telecommunications services they would like to buy, and what applications they would like to use. Consumers will have a good idea through analyses, about what services need to be purchased, when they need to be delivered and how much they will cost. Buyers will be asked to commit to follow-through on the procurement process as per the BFRR process, so providers may understand that the demand is real and not speculative. If there is a Request for Proposal (RFP), it will be issued and analyzed. If there is a negotiated purchase with one or more providers, this is when the design work will be agreed upon and the pricing finalized. By the end of this project, agreements will be in place for the delivery of advanced broadband services to one or more regional aggregation projects.

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Grantee: Center for Advancing Partnerships in Education – (CAPE)
Project Name: Project BOUNCE
Project Synopsis:

CAPE will work with its regional partners and their community relations connections to disseminate news of project goals and milestones to educational institutions, business and local families. CAPE will utilize regional, state and local newspapers as well as radio to advertise assistance to communities within the regions. CAPE will emphasize on Intermediate Units, Health Care, and other academia facilities that are in need of pursuing the advantages of Broadband for Education. Project BOUNCE will begin by raising awareness and building a vision of broadband-empowered learning through executive briefings for 150 education and health care administrators. In a second stage, 200 lead teachers and health care professionals will be trained in face-to-face, hands-on workshops. These lead teachers and health care professionals will then each train an average of 40 teachers and health care leaders to improve their broadband education skills. Additionally, CAPE will develop and maintain Internet-based, on-demand learning modules by which these 8200 teachers and health care providers may continue their training up to a five-year period. CAPE will also address the building of critical bridges between the K-12 community and the higher education community.

Grantee will have 2 areas of focus for the need of broadband to specific counties and Intermediate Units (IU’s). First being “Math/Science BOUNCE” which will address broadband outreach needs in rural regions of the state represented by IU’s 1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 15. “Math/Science BOUNCE” will focus on the need to enhance math and science training through broadband for teachers in the rural counties of Fayette, Greene and Washington counties.

The second being “Health BOUNCE” which will focus on the need to expand the delivery of nursing and health education to rural clusters of northwestern counties that include McKean, Potter, Elk and Cameron. These counties will be connected with current higher education health initiatives at Slippery Rock, Edinboro and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (representing Butler, Erie and Indiana counties respectively).

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