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"I've
never seen such excitement over two green lights," Project Director
Marilyn Egger laughs.
For the Burleson
County-Wide Integrate Network (BC-WIN), those two green lights
mean universal internet access for 15,000 people in a 626 square
mile service area. The lights also make Burleson County the first
community in the nation to use a wireless broadband network solution.
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"The
driving force for all of us has been a commitment to providing
connectivity to the world for our community," says Egger.
"We have families in our county who don't even have telephones
in their home. Now the kids can bring their parents to public
access sites such as libraries and show them how to use
the Internet."
The
BC-WIN network is the culmination of six years of intense
planning, throughout which the coalition relied on the TEES
Center for Community Support (CCS) for grant-writing assistance.
Their collaborative effort ultimately netted $499,886 for
internet connectivity.
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Within the
first month of operations, the project connected school districts,
clinics, and hospitals, allowing them to share resources. Project
Manager Robert Van Dresar says that the goal is to connect police,
emergency medical services, fire departments, and city and county
governments as well.
"Right now
we have police officers and emergency personnel driving in twelve
miles from other towns to file reports," says System Administrator
Doug Beavers, who is also the Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department.
"With the network, they will be able to file them electronically,
and that means they'll be closer to home when an emergency arises."
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