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UW-Eau Claire among collaborators honored for broadband expansion work

RELEASED: Oct. 4, 2011

EAU CLAIRE — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was one of 17 collaborative organizations from the Chippewa Valley honored recently with the Friend and Advocate Award from UW-Extension and UW Colleges for outstanding leadership in bringing anchor institutions together to attain advanced broadband services and providing a vision for other communities through the UW-Extension.

Daren Bauer, Chippewa Valley InterNetworking Consortium region project manager and a UW-Eau Claire technical services staff member, was among the CINC members who received the award.

CINC is a collaborative of schools, colleges, universities, libraries, municipalities, hospitals and clinics, and other organizations working with UW-Extension to expand community area broadband networks. CINC represents one of four demonstration communities in the state working with the support of federal broadband grants totaling nearly $33 million through the UW-Extension's Building Community Capacity through Broadband initiative.

"The partnership between UW-Extension and CINC is a model than can benefit communities all over the state," Ray Cross, UW-Extension and UW Colleges chancellor, said in a UW-Extension news release. (Read the full release.)

BCCB has produced six short videos on broadband in Wisconsin and its effect on government streamlining and cost savings, e-commerce, health care, economic development and jobs. A video produced by CINC describes how community institutions in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls pooled their resources to build a high-speed broadband network. View all the videos on the BCCB YouTube channel.

"The high-speed connections create opportunities to share applications and open up possibilities for new uses of technology," said Jill Hietpas, community development and broadband educator for UW-Extension. "CINC's video clearly illustrates the great work this collaborative does for our communities and illustrates why the group was recognized with the Friend and Advocate Award."

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JH/JP/DW

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