Developing Wireless Access Appalachia
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Benedum Foundation have given researchers at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Appalachian Network Access (CANA) $250,000 to implement a new, wireless broadband network linking rural Glenville, W. Va., to the rest of the world via high speed wireless Internet connectivity.
Glenville, a town of 2,000, is located in an isolated part of central West Virginia, about 160 miles south of Pittsburgh and 85 miles north of Charleston. Like many small, rural communities, it is ignored by commercial Internet providers. Residents and businesses must depend on slow, costly dial-up service to connect to the Internet.
CANA was co-founded earlier this year by Bruce Maggs, associate professor of computer science, and Pittsburgh investment banker John Whitehill. Its purpose is to bring the Internet to Appalachian communities like Glenville and raise the literacy and economic profile of the region.
Broadband connectivity allows high-speed transmission of large amounts of data, including multimedia and video. According to Maggs, who is leading the effort, this new high-speed connectivity should have a lasting impact on the Glenville economy.
"Wireless Internet means that geographic isolation can no longer keep rural communities from conducting commerce with the greater world," said Maggs. "Our project in Glenville is a prime example of how technology can be used strategically to bring together public and private institutions to add tangible value and quality of life enhancements to communities."
For two week in July, Maggs, Whitehill and others related to the School of Computer Science, the Heinz School and the business school collaborated with members of Glenville's business, educational and government sectors at "Camp Glenville" on the campus of Glenville State College (GSC). They began the ongoing project of building the new network and, according to Maggs, they're hoping to have the first subscribers on-line within two to three months.
"Students were not just installing hardware, they interviewed people about their needs, and getting the service set up to turn it over to the community," Maggs said.
In addition to Maggs and Whitehill, who is an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon's e-commerce master's program, others project team members affiliated with Carnegie Mellon include Michael Caplan, director of student affairs in the business school; Tyrone Wrice, associate director, Heinz School career services; Scott Leff, an e-commerce program alumnus; and David Hammond, Erin Andrew, and David Weither, recent graduates of the Heinz School who served as consultants on the project. Todd Hashiguchi, a business school master's degree student served as Glenville project manager. Other team members include Jevan Saks, who recently graduated from SCS' undergraduate program, Maverick Woo, an SCS doctoral student, and Konstantin Andreev, a doctoral student in the university's Mathematics Department.
"The resources aren't there for small communities to do these projects on their own," explained Glennville State College Interim President Robert Freeman. "GSC is excited to partner with Carnegie Mellon in this wireless implementation. This is a project that will touch everyone in this community."
The new broadband network is a continuation of several technological and educational initiatives started by Larry R. Baker, associate vice president of technology at Glenville State College who leads the effort for the Glenville community.
"I have been delighted with the commitment and excitement for the project that has been demonstrated by our political, community, and college leaders," Baker said. "Members of the community and the college will continue to look for additional partners as we continue to implement the project."
"We see great opportunities for schools, hospitals, and other nonprofit institutions, along with private businesses," said Whitehill. "Once we have Glenville fully operational, we are planning to replicate this concept in other rural communities throughout Appalachia."
Maggs said they hope to replicate the Glenville project in an appropriate community somewhere in Southwestern Pennsylvania--possibly somewhere in Fayette County. He explained that initially CANA seeks to demonstrate how wireless broadband telecommunications can promote competitiveness in rural communities.
Congress established the Appalachian Regional Commission in 1965 to support economic and social development in Appalachia, a 200,000 square-mile region from the spine of the Appalachian Mountains in Southern New York to Northern Mississippi. The ACR programs include parts of 13 states, and all of West Virginia.