UC2B is a consortium between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the cities of Champaign and Urbana that received federal and state grants to build a fiber optic network throughout the community. The network provides up to 1 Gbps symmetric internet access to over 200 community institutions and 4,800 primarily low-income homes in 11 census blocks. UC2B operates as an open access network, treating all data equally and requiring network neutrality. It offers the community innovative research and a testbed for new applications using its fiber infrastructure and growing number of gigabit customers.

1. Urbana-
Champaign
Big Broadband
US Ignite
Community Pitch
Michael K. Smeltzer
June 26, 2013

2. What is UC2B?
An Intergovernmental Consortium
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• City of Champaign
• City of Urbana
Created to secure ARRA broadband funding
$29.4 million infrastructure project
• Awarded $22.5 million from NTIA in March of 2010
• Awarded $3.5 million from State of Illinois - DCEO
• $3.4 million in local public & private matching funds
A Public-Private Partnership
• The private sector will ultimately provide most services
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3. What does UC2B provide?
7 fiber-optic rings spanning the community
• Fiber connectivity & Internet service for 200+ broadly
defined “Community Anchor Institutions”
• Schools, Public Safety, Government, Medical,
Senior Living & Activity, Youth Centers, Social
Service Agencies, Public Computing Centers
Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP)
• To the curbs of 4,800 homes & 200 businesses
• In 11 “underserved” Census Block Groups
• Areas were determined by a statistically valid door-
to-door survey and are primarily low-income
• Areas had less than 41% broadband adoption
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4. Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP)
“Last Mile” for 11 Census Block Groups
• We pass 4,800 primarily low-income households
• We pass 200 businesses in those areas
UC2B will only directly sell Internet access
Unlimited local Intranet connectivity
• 1 Gbps symmetric to all UC2B customers and Anchors
Tiers of symmetric Internet access
• 20, 30 & 40 Mbps - $1.00 per Mbps per month
TV, phone & other services from private sector
• Over-the-Top (OTT) video services as well
• Netflix, Apple iTunes, Hulu, Vudu and others
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5. An Open Access Network
UC2B is an Open Network
• Shared, community-owned infrastructure
• Multiple service providers
• Providers compete on price and quality of service
• All incumbent service providers are welcome
• AT&T, Comcast, Frontier, Consolidated & Windstream
• All competitive providers and ISP’s are welcome
• Pavlov, Volo, Metro, PEG & Champaign Telephone
• All data is treated the same
• No preference to any source or type of data
Network Neutrality is a grant requirement
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6. Where we are today
•99% of the fiber is installed
•1,000 fiber-served locations are live
•We have 450 yet to connect
• 61 Additional Anchors - approved in January by NTIA
•NTIA Grant will expire September 30, 2013
•Gig.U Member
• 2012 RFI for private partner for expansion
• 500 residential commitments at a minimum of $500 per
home for Gigabit Squared (GB2) in three weeks
• We are talking with GB2 and 3 of the organizations that
responded to our RFI
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7. What can we offer you?
As Chip Elliott pointed out earlier
• Rich history of application innovation
• NCSA Mosaic - almost code zero for all web browsers
• Promising future
• CS faculty working with innovative GENI slicing
University Research Park
• Incubator facility and Fortune 500 companies
Private Incubator facility
• Two Main Street
Competing Gigabit Providers
• Benefit of Open Network
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8. What else can we offer you?
Blue Waters Super Computer
• Fastest non-military super computer in the country
• Big Data & Big Computing & Big Broadband =
Solutions to Big Problems
More than 1,000 local Gigabit customers
• 200+ Anchor Institutions
• Growing testbed for new applications
A Micro-Urban Environment??
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9. A Micro-Urban Environment
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10. Questions
mike@UC2B.net
(217) 366-UC2B (8222)
www.UC2B.net
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