NoaNet brings fiber to school, library, hospital

During the monthly Ritzville Chamber of Commerce meeting, Angela Bennett from Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet) discussed the business and the plans to install a fiber route to a few businesses in Ritzville. The fiber network would run from the Ritzville School District, the County Health Department building, the Ritzville Library and to East Adams Rural Hospital.

NoaNet is a non-profit broadband provider that started using fiber connections in 2000 and focuses on bringing broadband service into rural areas. NoaNet helps expand opportunities for education, healthcare, government, public safety and rural communities.

NoaNet focuses on developing in rural communities in order to help rural growth and development opportunities in the area. NoaNet focuses on helping expand educational opportunities for students by allowing them easy access to information and giving them options for their education.

There are some campuses that are all satellite schools, meaning students can listen and watch their lectures online while the professor is at another campus. Conferences can also be streamed online and allows students to remain at a local campus while taking classes through another school.

Government plays a large role in the NoaNet system because the company believes locals need access to the government as well as constant updates. It also has the potential to cut costs with video arraignments so individuals facing trials do not have to be transported and helps reduce safety risks at the same time.

For public safety, NoaNet helps provide customers with Enhanced 911, known as E-911, that helps link people to emergency services and resources. It gives customers the ability to constantly have emergency resources available to them.

NoaNet uses funds from two grants and utilizes the funds to help equalize the opportunities in rural communities compared to urban areas.

“It’s more than being able to download the latest movie, it’s about the quality of life and giving rural communities more opportunities,” said Bennett.

With the fiber network being installed in Ritzville, it helps the four sites expand to different areas as well as opening up changes to offer new services at the locations. NoaNet is currently working with CenturyLink, who remains as a provider to Ritzville, and is hoping the fiber network is installed and ready for use on May 13.

An example of the rural community development that NoaNet helped create is in Quincy. The town, predominately a farming community, received broadband connection in the town, which led to a data center in the town. Now there are four fiber data centers and property values as well as employment opportunities have increased.

NoaNet hopes to help increase rural development and Ritzville is only one of many communities that NoaNet is putting fiber in at. Since Ritzville is part of a string of fiber, the connection is not turned on until all of the fiber is ready to be activated.

For more information about NoaNet, visit the website http://noanet.net, or by calling the toll free number 866-662-6380, or 509-456-3611.