Fiber Optic Cable, Pickens County, AL
- A fiber ring initially connected 4 county schools
- County schools are saving $140,000 a year after all expenses
- Connected courthouse & jail to use for video arraignment and telemedicine for additional savings
The school superintendent had a vision of a digital future and contacted the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). A representative from ADECA worked with the superintendent. They heard that the local cable company was going to upgrade its system to fiber in order to eliminate 3 of their 4 cable headends. They negotiated with the cable company to extend the fiber to the schools for a reasonable monthly fee. With the schools connected the county was able to offer courses they previously couldn't afford.
For example, none of the schools had the resources to hire foreign language teachers. With the fiber network and full motion video equipment, they were able to hire one teacher who teaches to all 4 schools at the same time. Distance learning has saved the school district $140,000 a year after all expenses for equipment.
Recently the county also connected the courthouse and jail to offer video arraignment capabilities. They expect this will save the county the expense of transporting inmates. They can also use this system for telemedicine to also reduce expenses transporting inmates to medical facilities. This program has not been running for an entire year so they don't have exact numbers for savings.
The county is also taking advantage of broadband for economic development.
The Pickens County Medical Center is working with the medical center in neighboring Fayette County to connect via fiber to the regional hospital in Tuscaloosa. This would offer both of the rural medical centers advantages of full motion video and tremendous opportunities through telemedicine.
For More Information:
Contact: Ned Butler, State Radio Plans Director Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
Phone: 334-424-5474
Email: nedb@adeca.state.al.us
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These materials were developed as part of the Southern Rural Development Center’s National e-Commerce Extension Initiative. They are based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Award No. 2005-45064-03212 Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Southern Rural Development Center. |