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SPS partners with Mediacom Business for fiber connection

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Mediacom Business has announced that the fiber infrastructure it provided to connect more than 60 facilities within Springfield Public Schools is in place and fully operational this academic year.

The installation was completed in July, and both Mediacom Business and SPS provided technical work and resources to accomplish it, according to a news release.

Mediacom Business, a division of Mediacom Communications Corp., is providing the fiber infrastructure for the district’s wide-area-network, which provides a secure private broadband network for relaying data and communications for staff and students.

The district is using the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate Program, which assists schools and libraries with broadband expenses, to help pay for the program, the release states. 

According to an SPS spokesperson, the board of education is in the first year of a three-year contract with Mediacom, with two optional one-year extensions. Because the services are eligible for E-rate reimbursement, sothe total annual expense for SPS will not exceed $76,800.

In Mediacom’s announcement of the partnership, Bruce Douglas, director of information technology for SPS, said, “The best internet connection is one we never have to think about allowing us to do our job of educating the next generation, and we applaud Mediacom for providing such a connection to SPS.”

Douglas said the district relies more heavily on technology every day for online learning and public safety, and a reliable broadband connection is crucial for daily operations.

Nichole Lemmon, SPS director of Launch virtual learning, said the Launch platform relies on Mediacom broadband to educate thousands of students.

“As the demand for online educational content continues to increase, our Launch platform has become vital to educating students in Springfield and all across Missouri,” she said in the release.

The district’s police department also uses broadband in its security efforts, with security cameras located districtwide, including on school buses. Advanced broadband services allow video footage from bus cameras to automatically download to the department’s communications team as the buses pull into the school parking lots, the release states.

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