2012 Update Archive

December 2012 Update
Current Highlights:

Continued to connect Anchor Institutions and Fiber-to-the-Premise sites. At the end of December, we had a total of 774 total customers connected to UC2B fiber.

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 160 (Target was 159)
Miles of Fiber Blown: 186 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 138 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 78 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $13.9 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $3.5 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $1.2 Million of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 774 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

October 2012 Update
Current Highlights:

The DCEO portion of funding has expired, but continues with the NTIA and local funding. Continued progress on the installation fiber to home and businesses in the 11 grant-eligible Census Block Groups, completion of backbone rings, and connections of Community Anchor Institutions.
12 fiber service areas are based on geographical boundaries of the 2000 census. Of those 12 fiber service areas, the fiber infrastructure and the equipment cabinets had been turned over to UC2B by Phase One contractors.
Now have 2,000 active residential fiber-to-the-premise customers, and five active fiber-to-the premise business customers. Phase Two installation teams are installing eight to ten new residential or business sites each day.
At the current rate of installation, the grant will expire before all 1,200 pending customers are connected. Therefore, UC2B will be filing ofr an extension of the NTIA grant.

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 168 of 159
Miles of Fiber Blown: 177 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 70 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 8 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $10.8 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $3.5 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $1.2 Million of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 205 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

September 2012 Update
Current Highlights:

The first of Community Anchor (CAI) Institution customers were connected to the network via fiber, and are receiving services.
Required acquisition, installation, and configuration of all core network equipment as well as support systems.
Network monitoring has been completed for first CAI connection.
Majority of middle-mile fiber cables have been installed, splicing remains to be completed.
All twelve neighborhood equipment cabinets are operational and rolling Fiber-to-the-Premise to efficiently use installers.
Awarded Community Broadband Project of the Year by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 152 of 159
Miles of Fiber Blown: 140 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 46 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 6 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $10.7 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $3.1 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $1.2 Million of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 70 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

August 2012 Update

Current Highlights:

Canvassers continued to sign up customers, closing in on 1,000 by the end of August.
Connected first residential customers and everything was working.
Phase one contractors continue to finish fiber-to-the-curb for more residences, businesses, and Community Anchor Institutions (CAI).
Awarded Community Broadband Project of the Year by the NATOA (National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors).

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 147.9 of 159
Miles of Fiber Blown: 124.7 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 43 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 2 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $10.4 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $3.1 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $1.1 Million of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 6 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

Urbana-Champaign Big Broadband bar chart August 2012

July 2012 Update

Current Highlights:

Despite some record high temperatures, July was a good month for getting fiber in the ground and spliced.
Canvassers continued to sign up customers, closing in on 800 by the end of July.
Continue to see a higher than expected percentage of customers subscribing to more than just the minimum Internet bandwidth.
First customers will go live in August.
Prepared and submitted a response to Gigabit Squared’s Request for Proposals (RFP) that was issued to Gig.U members. More than 500 homes and businesses pre-commit to a minimum of $500 to get connected to fiber in a network expansion that we hope to entice Gigabit Squared to make in our community.
The “fiberhoods” map and the number of commitments in each is displayed below. These were being tracked even before Google announced their plans for Kansas City. Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy is divided up into 149 fiberhoods of roughly 450 potential customers each. Twelve of those fiberhoods will receive fiber service through the NTIA and DCEO grants. The RFP response requested that Gigabit Squared build out the remaining 137 areas

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 146 of 159
Miles of Fiber Blown: 109 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 24 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 0 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $9.9 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $2.7 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $1.1 Million of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 0 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

Urbana-Champaign Big Broadband bar chart July 2012

June 2012 Update

Current Highlights:

June was a productive month for UC2B. The contactors got a lot of fiber in the ground, and have started splicing it all together.
Started getting signatures on contracts with Community Anchor Institutions (CAI), businesses, and households, and by the end of the month, have 299 signed contracts, representing 277 households and 4 businesses in the Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) service areas and 18 CAI spread across the entire community.
Of those 299 customer contracts, 70.5% subscribed to the 20/20 Mbps Consumer service, while 14.4% subscribed to the 30/30 Mbps Consumer service while another 14.4% subscribed to the 40/40 Mbps Consumer service. There was one business that subscribed to the 20/20 Mbps Commercial service and one Anchor Institution that subscribed to the 40/40 Commercial service.
Those numbers represent a much higher percentage of customers subscribing to the higher bandwidth services than originally projected. If those percentages hold as additional subscribers are added, it will help with sustainability.
While it is too early to make any bold statements, thus far UC2B seems to have crafted services and prices that are being well received by the underserved residents in grant-funded FTTP service areas.
The first customers will go live in the coming quarter.
UC2B was a founding community for US Ignite, which was launched at the White House in June. The national US ignite map of partners and an overview are attached

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 144 of 159
Miles of Fiber Blown: 88 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 18 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 0 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $9 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $2.7 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $441,529 of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 0 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

Urbana-Champaign Big Broadband bar chart June 2012

May 2012 Update

Current Highlights:

May was a productive month for UC2B.
The Urbana contractor has completed just about all of the conduit installation for the fiber rings and fiber-to-the-curb, and is finishing up with manhole installation and landscape restoration. They have started pulling fiber and splicing as well (see attached pictures).
The contractor on the University campus has installed all of the ring conduits, manholes and fiber and has started splicing.
The contractor in Champaign and Savoy is 88% complete with conduits and has started pulling fiber as well.
The work in the nodes for the central core network equipment is just about complete.
The DC power systems are installed and are operational and the networking staff members have started configuring and testing the core networking equipment in those nodes.
The twelve neighborhood equipment cabinets have arrived and will be installed soon.
Orders have been placed for the remaining core network equipment as well as the first wave of customer premise equipment.
Completed the Request for Proposal process to hire a contractor for building fiber from the curb into the homes, businesses and Community Anchor Institutions. A contract was signed with the winning firm, and they will start their work in late June and continue through January 31, 2013.
All of this is leading up to the beginning of UC2B services to customers in select areas in July and expanding those areas throughout the summer and fall. Community Ambassadors are going door-to-door securing signatures on service agreements, and doing the pre-coordination work for the fiber installations.

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 140 of 159
Miles of Fiber Blown: 40 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 0 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 0 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $7.7 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $1.5 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $468,750 of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 0 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

UC2B May 2012 Update

April 2012 Update

Current Highlights:

In April, UC2B released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the final phase of Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) construction – installing fiber from the curb into the buildings to be served and installing the Active Ethernet gigabit electronics. RFP responses are due on May 16^th, with the hopes of the winning contractor(s) making first installations in late June or early July.
Phase-one fiber construction contractors are nearly finished with the conduit installation for the seven fiber backbone rings and the fiber-to-the-curb on the FTTP areas. As of the end of April, 83% of all conduit was in the ground (132 miles of 159 installed), and blowing and pulling fiber in some areas has begun.
The racks and DC power systems have been installed in the nodes and are now readyfor the installation of core network electronics.
The UC2B Policy Board has finalized UC2B’s retail pricing plans for households and businesses in the grant-funded areas and for Community Anchor Institutions across the community. They are now moving on to discussing and finalizing the wholesale pricing for other service providers on the open-access network.
UC2B is participating in the Gig.U initiative to expand FTTP services beyond the grant-funded areas that will be built this year.
UC2B has joined US Ignite to look at enabling applications that will leverage the gigabit connectivity that UC2B will deliver.

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 132 of 159
Miles of Fiber Blown: 25 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 0 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 0 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $6.5 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $1.4 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $468,750 of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 0 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

March 2012 Update

Current Highlights:

UC2B fiber construction contractors were able to capitalize on the unusually mild winter—working almost every single day rather than theexpected 5-10 days per month. As of the end of March, contractors had installed 117.91 miles of conduit, which represents 74.2% of the planned total for the seven fiber rings and the fiber-to-the-curb in the eleven targeted Census Block Groups.
Both contractors received their first shipments of fiber in February and have been able to install 18 miles of fiber thus far, which represents 7.3% of the planned total for the project.
The Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) electronics vendor has shipped all of the core network equipment, and the node locations are being prepared for that equipment to be installed in the second quarter.
The RFP for contractors to install the fiber from the curbs into buildings has taken longer to develop than anticipated, and it was not released in the first quarter as hoped. It will be issued in April.
Community Ambassadors have been out knocking on doors in the FTTP areas, and thus far more than 70% of those households have expressed interest in subscribing to UC2B service. Once retail service agreements are ready for them to sign in May, the canvassers will revisit those households and get them signed up.
UC2B is anticipating late June or early July for the turn up of the first fiber customers.

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 118 of 245
Miles of Fiber Blown: 18 of 245
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 0 of 284
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 0 of 284
Federal Dollars Invested: $4.5 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $1.4 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $488,334 of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 0 of 2,416
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

February 2012 Update UC2B February 2012 pie chart

Current Highlights:

Contractors took advantage of the mild weather and completed a significant portion of underground infrastructure in February.
Close to 60% of conduit construction is complete.
Received first shipments of fiber and started installing the fiber in the completed conduits (see attached photos).
Have installed 5% of the backbone ring and fiber-to-the-curb fiber.

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 94.3 of 187
Miles of Fiber Blown: 8.7 of 187
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 0 of 137
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 0 of 137
Federal Dollars Invested: $4.1 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $1.4 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $488,334 of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 0 of 3,335
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5

January 2012 Update UC2B January 2012 pie chart

Current Highlights:

Due to such mild weather, crews were able to get a lot of conduit into the ground in January.
All conduit in the University campus area was installed over the semester break while the students were gone.
Please see the attached photos page for a glimpse into this construction project.

Key Performance Indicators:

Miles of Conduit Buried: 70.36 of 187
Miles of Fiber Blown: 0 of 187
Community Anchor Institutions Contracted: 0 of 137
Community Anchor Institutions Connected: 0 of 137
Federal Dollars Invested: $2.4 Million of $22.5 Million
State Dollars Invested: $1.4 Million of $3.5 Million
Private/Local Dollars Invested: $488,334 of $3 Million
New Broadband Subscribers Connected: 0 of 3,335
Direct Jobs Created: 4.5