Occam Selected in $101 Million Broadband Stimulus Project

Occam Networks has announced that Rural Telephone/Nex-Tech has tapped long-time partner Occam and its BLC 6000 multiservice access platform (MSAP) to deliver fiber-based broadband services into 21 communities and 26 rural areas across more than 4,600 square miles. Rural Telephone/Nex-Tech has been awarded $101 million in combined Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) grants and loans to bring advanced broadband services to Western Kansas.
 
Rural Telephone/Nex-Tech, based in Lenora, Kansas, will reach 23,000 households and businesses with broadband over a combination of fiber and WiMAX technologies. Funding will pay for infrastructure, construction, labor and electronics over the course of 3 years as Rural Telephone/Nex-Tech aims to bring broadband ubiquity to western Kansas.

Rural Telephone/Nex-Tech and Occam have worked together for over nine years on a variety of both copper and fiber broadband network builds, including DSL, Gigabit (Active) Ethernet and GPON FTTP deployments. Occam will play a key role in delivering fiber based services to the 21 communities in the new project.