2015 Economic Development Conference Series-Lexington, KY –

Using Broadband to Drive Economic Developmentand Create Jobs: Successful Local Approaches

Ron WaltersPANGAEA Executive Director

September 16, 2015

Where Are We Today???

Community Leadership

Seed Capital Funding

Operations Funding

Human Capital

Partners

Growth Hurdles

PANGAEA Internet501(c)(3)

Community

Foundations

Government

Education

Utilities

Customers

WISP’s

Vendors

Public/Private Partnerships

Low cost non-profit structure

200 miles of fiber

99.97% uptime

Fiber connections: health care, education, government, commercial

Wi-Fi for towns and students

Wireless broadband via WISP

Outstanding customer service: 94% rating

PANGAEA community grants and scholarships

Impact

Lessons Learned

• Community Focus, Not Shareholder Focus • Partnerships (Public/Private)• Funding (Sustainability)

• Grants for Capital Costs• Customer Revenue for Operating Costs• USAC Service Provider

No Cookie Cutter Solutions

Challenges Remain

Case Study“Connect” Community Wi-Fi

• Goal: Provide Internet access to thousands of underserved students in the area (only 50% have access from home)

• Two solutions deployed: OpenMesh AP’s on telephone poles first, then more robust GoBeam AP’s mounted to high points (water towers & rooftops)

• ~5,000 unique users per month, 25Gb per day usage

Open Mesh

OpenMesh

GoBeam

Case StudyMill Spring Agricultural Development Center

• Renovated 1920’s Brick Schoolhouse• Agricultural Development, Farmland Preservation,

Education, Community Service, Business Development

• 10 PANGAEA Fiber Optic Customers• Spotlight: Turner HD Media

Case StudyAmeridial

• 31,000 sf call center in Spindale• Remodeled vacant grocery store• NC Department of Commerce grant (building reuse)• 160 positions w/+100 commitment

“PANGAEA Internet was a key factor for us when we were considering Rutherford County for our new call center,” commented Mark Schmidt, President of Ameridial. “In fact, without high speed fiber, we would not be able to connect to our network and our customers with the bandwidth speeds they require. Having PANGAEA support and connectivity was a must for us.”

“Bringing the world closer through the power of the Internet”