Apr 14, 2011 1:54 PM,

MCNC picks network builders for Phase 2 of regional project

By Dan O'Shea

Three vendors hired for North Carolina non-profit's broadband expansion with partner ERC Broadband

MCNC, an independent, non-profit network operator in North Carolina, and partner ERC Broadband announced this week it has chosen three construction firms--Globe Communications, Fiber Technologies, and Edwards Telecommunications--for the upcoming second phase of its broadband expansion for the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN).

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MCNC is a repeat winner of broadband stimulus funding, and ERC Broadband is a community-focused broadband operator. The companies are set to spend roughly $40 million with the three vendors as part of a total $106 million Phase 2 investment. The NCREN expansion, also referred to as the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI), has an estimated project cost of about $146 million.

MCNC started requesting proposals for the Phase 2 work in January. The second phase, representing about 1,200 network miles, is about four times larger than the first phase. The overall project is scheduled to be completed by July 2013.

All three vendors are local to the Southeast: Edwards Telecommunications is based in Columbia, S.C.; Fiber Tech is based in Loganville, Ga.; and Globe is in Durham, N.C. Both Fiber Tech and Globe participated in Phase 1 of the network expansion.

The stimulus money MCNC won includes a federal grant of $75.75 million, awarded last August by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program. Other funds include $31.25 million in privately raised funds, including $24 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The entire network project involves more than 2,000 miles of new and/or acquired fiber to be outfitted through 69 counties in North Carolina. Currently, more than 140 miles of conduit for Round 1 has been installed in southeastern and western North Carolina. The Round 1 build encompasses construction of 407 miles of high-speed “middle-mile” broadband infrastructure in 37 counties.

Other vendors already involved in Phase 2 of the project include CommScope and Kimley-Horn and Associates.