MCNC, the non-profit operator of the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), today unveiled strategic priorities to help make North Carolina the most connected state in the nation over the next four years by further reinforcing that reliable, fast, affordable and ubiquitous Internet access is a basic requirement of being a productive citizen in the 21st century.
Technology and broadband connectivity play a massive role in the everyday lives of North Carolina citizens. Guided by innovation, economic development, security, relationships with state government and thought leadership, MCNC is transforming into an organization that provides not just high-speed, broadband networking on NCREN but other value-added services and technology solutions for many key education and business verticals across the state.
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MCNC will be expanding upon existing services for K-20 education in North Carolina in addition to local community anchor institutions, non-profit healthcare, and state and local governments. MCNC also plans to support the state’s ability to provide the most robust next-generation public safety network in the nation as well as advance the educational transformation already underway in North Carolina via infrastructure and technology services. Another key priority for MCNC is to address and strengthen rural broadband connectivity and access throughout North Carolina.
“There are still significant areas of rural North Carolina where high-speed Internet is not available to local residents, and this is simply unacceptable in today’s world,” said MCNC President and CEO Jean Davis. “Hospitals, schools, businesses, and residents in these areas of the state deserve nothing less than the ability to connect and compete in today’s global marketplace. MCNC has outlined connectivity priorities for the state to support these growth markets so consumers can see more competition, lower costs, and better overall services.”
MCNC’s vision through 2020 and beyond is to leverage NCREN to expand stakeholder engagement in MCNC’s constituent community while creating unprecedented opportunities for North Carolinians where they live, access education, seek economic gain, participate in their governance, and access health care.
“MCNC has built the nation’s most future-proof network for the entire state of North Carolina, but success in deployment does not mean just installing fiber networks in rural areas,” said Tom Rabon, chairman of MCNC Board of Directors. “These communities need an active partner like MCNC to convene both public and private entities to assist those communities seeking to accelerate their broadband-based economies.”
MCNC currently provides connectivity, transport, data center services, video services, client network engineering, identity management, and other high-quality, reliable services to meet the evolving needs of customers. MCNC’s new strategic plan is customer-focused and has been designed collaboratively through a series of interactions with constituents.
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About MCNC
MCNC, a technology nonprofit that builds, owns and operates the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), has served research, education, non-profit health care and other community institutions with Internet connectivity in the state for more than 30 years. NCREN is the fundamental broadband infrastructure for more than 500 of these institutions including all K-20 education in North Carolina. As one of the nation’s premier middle-mile networks, MCNC leverages high-speed fiber on NCREN to customize Internet services and related applications for each customer while supporting private service providers in bringing cost-efficient connectivity to rural and underserved communities in North Carolina. Visit www.mcnc.org or connect on Facebook, @MCNC, YouTube, Google+, or LinkedIn.