Bledsoe Telephone Partners With Calix for High-Speed Broadband Project

PETALUMA, CA ? Bledsoe Telephone Cooperative, a telephone provider in Tennessee, has selected the Calix B6 Ethernet Service Access Node (ESAN) to bring advanced broadband services to residences, businesses, and anchor institutions, using grant and loan funding from the broadband stimulus program.

Bledsoe is using its $3.6 million grant and $1.5 million loan to offer advanced services in Bledsoe, Cumberland, and Sequatchie counties in eastern Tennessee. It will use a mix of fiber-based (active Ethernet) and copper-based (ADSL2+) technologies to deliver IPTV, high-speed Internet access and voice services.

"The stimulus funds were extraordinarily beneficial to us, as we likely would never have been able to justify the business case for an advanced broadband buildout in these targeted communities without financial assistance," says Greg Anderson, general manager at Bledsoe. "With advanced broadband services delivered across either fiber or copper, our stimulus-targeted subscribers will enjoy expanded broadband-enabled economic, educational, and social opportunities."

For the active Ethernet deployment, Bledsoe will use the Calix 2000 family of optical network terminals at customer premises, in addition to the B6 platform in the central office.