ZCorum Researches TV White Space as a Cost-Effective Broadband Solution for Rural Areas

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Scott Helms and Tony Peacock Testing Antenna in Gordon, GA

With this project we have the opportunity to help providers in rural communities offer access to better and more economical broadband services.

Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) April 10, 2014

ZCorum, a leading provider of managed broadband services and diagnostics, announced that it has begun testing TV White Space as a way to offer broadband service in Gordon, Georgia. TV White Spaces are the vacant frequencies made available by the FCC for unlicensed use at locations where spectrum is not being utilized by a licensed service, most often for television broadcasts. ZCorum’s ultimate goal is to establish a launching point so they can help other companies bring the new technology into underserved areas across the country.

One of the advantages of TV White Space is the ability to service a relatively large area at a lower cost, especially compared to wireline technologies like cable, DSL and Fiber. “There are still many underserved areas in the U.S. because the cost to build out the infrastructure has simply been too high considering the number of potential customers,” said Scott Helms, Vice President of Technology at ZCorum. “The lower frequency UHF spectrum in TV White Space is non-line of sight, making it ideal for providing coverage in hard-to-reach rural areas, using far less infrastructure than other technologies.” According to Helms, these frequencies can penetrate buildings and trees, and even follow rough terrain, which are obstacles that would prevent other fixed-wireless frequencies from reaching potential subscribers.

As part of their initiative, ZCorum recently submitted an expression of interest to the FCC to be included in a new trial program using surplus funds from the Connect America Fund. The FCC is offering the funds to pilot projects whose goal is the expansion of broadband services in rural areas.

“With this project we have the opportunity to help providers in rural communities offer access to better and more economical broadband services,” said ZCorum President and CEO Julie Compann, “That’s something I’m very passionate about.” Compann went on to say, “We are just in the beginning stages. This will be a learning process, and we invite everyone to learn right along with us as we document the process on our Business of Broadband blog.”

About ZCorum

ZCorum provides managed broadband services and diagnostics solutions to cable companies, telephone companies, utilities, and municipalities, assisting in all aspects of broadband implementation, engineering and consulting, bandwidth management, network monitoring and diagnostics. ZCorum also offers wholesale, private-labeled Internet services, including data and VoIP provisioning, email, Web hosting, and 24x7 support for end-users, enabling service providers to compete more effectively in their local markets. ZCorum is headquartered in Alpharetta, GA. For more information, please visit http://www.ZCorum.com.

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