Contract Detail

PURPOSE: THE MISSOURI NETWORK ALLIANCE (DBA BLUEBIRD NETWORK) PROPOSED PROJECT IN THIS APPLICATION WILL EXTEND MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUCTURE TO UNSERVED AND UNDERSERVED AREAS AND PROMOTE BROADBAND CONNECTION RESILIENCY THROUGH THE CREATION OF ALTERNATIVE NETWORK CONNECTION PATHS. THIS PROJECT FOR THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA WILL EXTEND BLUEBIRD'S NETWORK FROM MISSOURI INTO OKLAHOMA AND WILL INCREASE REDUNDANCY AND RESILIENCY AS WELL AS INCREASING COMPETITION IN THIS RURAL AREA. BLUEBIRD HAS SEVERAL CUSTOMERS THAT WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE INCREASED CAPACITY AND REDUNDANCY CREATED BY THE NEW ROUTES WHICH WILL HELP LOWER THE COST OF BANDWIDTH SERVICES (SUB 1 GBPS) IN RURAL AREAS WHERE THE COSTS OF CONNECTIVITY MAKE RATES UNECONOMIC, WHICH INHIBITS FUTURE CONNECTIVITY GROWTH IN THE REGION. THIS PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY INCREASE THE RESILIENCY AND REDUNDANCY OF THE MIDDLE MILE NETWORK, BUT IT WILL ALSO REDUCE COSTS AND SPUR THE MORE RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF LAST MILE SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS. IN PARTICULAR, THESE ROUTES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GROW AND STRENGTHEN FIXED WIRELESS AND CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY, INCLUDING ADVANCEMENTS IN NEW WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES WHICH ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY OTHER MEANS THAN FIBER. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: PROJECT WILL USE FIBER TO BUILD NEW/RESILIENT MIDDLE MILE NETWORK THROUGH UN/UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WITH A COMMITMENT TO OPEN ACCESS AND CARRIER NEUTRAL NON-DISCRIMINATORY INTERCONNECT. THE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE IS EXPECTED TO BE 4 YEARS. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE PROPOSED PROJECT HAS THE FOLLOWING GOALS AND DELIVERABLES: EXTEND BLUEBIRDS NETWORK FROM MISSOURI INTO OKLAHOMA TO INCREASE REDUNDANCY AND RESILIENCY AND COMPETITION RURAL AREAS; WORK WITH LAST MILE PROVIDERS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE AND EXPAND THEIR NETWORKS TO CONNECT HOUSEHOLDS IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANCHOR AND ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS WITHIN THIS MARKET;R EACH FARMS TO PROMOTE AG-TECH CAPABILITIES; ENABLE THE CONVERSION OF CELLULAR TOWERS FROM MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY TO FIBER OPTICS, GROWING NOT WIRELINE AND WIRELESS/CELLULAR ACCESS TO THE RURAL CITIZENS OF OKLAHOMA. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE BLUEBIRD ROUTE REPRESENTS MIDDLE MILE INSTALLATIONS IN 12 COUNTIES; 9 COUNTIES ARE IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND 3 IN MISSOURI. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL IMPACT A TOTAL OF 78 COMMUNITIES. ACCORDING TO JUNE 2021 FCC FORM 477 DATA, 11.77% OF THE CENSUS BLOCKS ARE UNSERVED AND 14.05% ARE UNDERSERVED. IN ADDITION, 42 WIRELINE PROVIDERS, 19 WIRELESS PROVIDERS, AND 876 TOWERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE NEW NETWORK. 16 COMMUNITY ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS ARE WITHIN 1,000 FEET OF THE PROPOSED NETWORK (5 HIGHER EDUCATION, 6 SCHOOLS, AND 5 HEALTHCARE FACILITIES). SEVERAL TRIBAL NATIONS BENEFITING FROM THIS ROUTE INCLUDE THE PEORIA TRIBE, CHEROKEE NATION, QUAPUAW NATION, SHAWNEE NATION, AND THE MIAMI TRIBE. THIS ROUTE WILL SUPPORT RANCHES DESIRING A HIGHER GRADE OF FIBER CONNECTIVITY TO CONNECT THE MANY NEW BROADBAND DEVICES USED IN MODERN AGRICULTURE PRACTICES. THE PROPOSED NETWORK WILL ENABLE THE CONVERSION OF CELLULAR TOWERS FROM MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY TO FIBER OPTICS, WHICH WOULD ALLOW EXISTING AND NEW CUSTOMERS ACCESS TO BANDWIDTH IN EXCESS OF 10 GBPS OR DARK FIBER CONNECTIVITY. THIS ROUTE IS DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE THE NUMBER OF MILES REQUIRED TO MAXIMIZE THE NUMBER OF RURAL COMMUNITIES SERVED. THE ROUTE HAS A HIGH LEVEL OF TOWER AND CUSTOMER DEMAND WHICH WOULD FACILITATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, TRIBES, AND THE STATE. THIS PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY INCREASE THE RESILIENCY AND REDUNDANCY OF THE MIDDLE MILE NETWORK, BUT IT WILL ALSO REDUCE COSTS AND SPUR THE MORE RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF LAST MILE SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE.

PURPOSE: THE MISSOURI NETWORK ALLIANCE (DBA BLUEBIRD NETWORK) PROPOSED PROJECT IN THIS APPLICATION WILL EXTEND MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUCTURE TO UNSERVED AND UNDERSERVED AREAS AND PROMOTE BROADBAND CONNECTION RESILIENCY THROUGH THE CREATION OF ALTERNATIVE NETWORK CONNECTION PATHS. THIS PROJECT FOR THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA WILL EXTEND BLUEBIRD'S NETWORK FROM MISSOURI INTO OKLAHOMA AND WILL INCREASE REDUNDANCY AND RESILIENCY AS WELL AS INCREASING COMPETITION IN THIS RURAL AREA. BLUEBIRD HAS SEVERAL CUSTOMERS THAT WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE INCREASED CAPACITY AND REDUNDANCY CREATED BY THE NEW ROUTES WHICH WILL HELP LOWER THE COST OF BANDWIDTH SERVICES (SUB 1 GBPS) IN RURAL AREAS WHERE THE COSTS OF CONNECTIVITY MAKE RATES UNECONOMIC, WHICH INHIBITS FUTURE CONNECTIVITY GROWTH IN THE REGION. THIS PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY INCREASE THE RESILIENCY AND REDUNDANCY OF THE MIDDLE MILE NETWORK, BUT IT WILL ALSO REDUCE COSTS AND SPUR THE MORE RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF LAST MILE SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS. IN PARTICULAR, THESE ROUTES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GROW AND STRENGTHEN FIXED WIRELESS AND CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY, INCLUDING ADVANCEMENTS IN NEW WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES WHICH ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY OTHER MEANS THAN FIBER. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: PROJECT WILL USE FIBER TO BUILD NEW/RESILIENT MIDDLE MILE NETWORK THROUGH UN/UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WITH A COMMITMENT TO OPEN ACCESS AND CARRIER NEUTRAL NON-DISCRIMINATORY INTERCONNECT. THE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE IS EXPECTED TO BE 4 YEARS. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE PROPOSED PROJECT HAS THE FOLLOWING GOALS AND DELIVERABLES: EXTEND BLUEBIRDS NETWORK FROM MISSOURI INTO OKLAHOMA TO INCREASE REDUNDANCY AND RESILIENCY AND COMPETITION RURAL AREAS; WORK WITH LAST MILE PROVIDERS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE AND EXPAND THEIR NETWORKS TO CONNECT HOUSEHOLDS IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANCHOR AND ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS WITHIN THIS MARKET;R EACH FARMS TO PROMOTE AG-TECH CAPABILITIES; ENABLE THE CONVERSION OF CELLULAR TOWERS FROM MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY TO FIBER OPTICS, GROWING NOT WIRELINE AND WIRELESS/CELLULAR ACCESS TO THE RURAL CITIZENS OF OKLAHOMA. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE BLUEBIRD ROUTE REPRESENTS MIDDLE MILE INSTALLATIONS IN 12 COUNTIES; 9 COUNTIES ARE IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND 3 IN MISSOURI. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL IMPACT A TOTAL OF 78 COMMUNITIES. ACCORDING TO JUNE 2021 FCC FORM 477 DATA, 11.77% OF THE CENSUS BLOCKS ARE UNSERVED AND 14.05% ARE UNDERSERVED. IN ADDITION, 42 WIRELINE PROVIDERS, 19 WIRELESS PROVIDERS, AND 876 TOWERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE NEW NETWORK. 16 COMMUNITY ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS ARE WITHIN 1,000 FEET OF THE PROPOSED NETWORK (5 HIGHER EDUCATION, 6 SCHOOLS, AND 5 HEALTHCARE FACILITIES). SEVERAL TRIBAL NATIONS BENEFITING FROM THIS ROUTE INCLUDE THE PEORIA TRIBE, CHEROKEE NATION, QUAPUAW NATION, SHAWNEE NATION, AND THE MIAMI TRIBE. THIS ROUTE WILL SUPPORT RANCHES DESIRING A HIGHER GRADE OF FIBER CONNECTIVITY TO CONNECT THE MANY NEW BROADBAND DEVICES USED IN MODERN AGRICULTURE PRACTICES. THE PROPOSED NETWORK WILL ENABLE THE CONVERSION OF CELLULAR TOWERS FROM MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY TO FIBER OPTICS, WHICH WOULD ALLOW EXISTING AND NEW CUSTOMERS ACCESS TO BANDWIDTH IN EXCESS OF 10 GBPS OR DARK FIBER CONNECTIVITY. THIS ROUTE IS DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE THE NUMBER OF MILES REQUIRED TO MAXIMIZE THE NUMBER OF RURAL COMMUNITIES SERVED. THE ROUTE HAS A HIGH LEVEL OF TOWER AND CUSTOMER DEMAND WHICH WOULD FACILITATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, TRIBES, AND THE STATE. THIS PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY INCREASE THE RESILIENCY AND REDUNDANCY OF THE MIDDLE MILE NETWORK, BUT IT WILL ALSO REDUCE COSTS AND SPUR THE MORE RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF LAST MILE SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE.