Cable ONE Business (NYSE:CABO) has been awarded a contract to build a new 1 Gbps fiber-optic wide area network (WAN) with dedicated Internet access (DIA) for the Yavapai County Education Service Agency, which encompasses more than 50 schools and libraries and 100 businesses within Yavapai County, AZ.
Stan Goligoski, executive director of Yavapai County School Superintendent's Office, said the new network means students, businesses and residents in the more rural Yavapai County communities will now have additional resources available to expand their educational opportunities, knowledge base and logistical support.
"We are fulfilling the critical need of providing access to high-speed Internet to Yavapai County schools and libraries," said Goligoski. "Schools and libraries are considered community anchor institutions, and we are proud to be the vehicle that will provide a dramatic increase in broadband with the most reliable, efficient and cost-effective systems, which have not been available until now. Our past experience working with Cable ONE Business has been wonderful, making it an easy choice to turn to them again for this enormous project."
The cost of the service has also been reduced. Goligoski said that by working with Cable ONE Business, the cost for Internet access for schools and libraries in Yavapai County has been reduced, on average, by almost 90%. Every school or library in the county will save at least 50% on their internet costs, and some as much as 98%.
Prior to the initiative, none of the schools and libraries in Yavapai County met the FCC bandwidth recommendations for schools and libraries.
"We are proud to be designing a network that will allow all schools and libraries from Crown King to Bagdad and Ash Fork to Hillside to obtain the Internet speeds they need to educate their students and serve their patrons," said Chris Boone, vice president of Business Services for Cable ONE. "This effort will eliminate the digital divide for students and residents in Yavapai County."
