SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
EXPLORE +
  • About infoDOCKET
  • Academic Libraries on LJ
  • Research on LJ
  • News on LJ
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Libraries
    • Academic Libraries
    • Government Libraries
    • National Libraries
    • Public Libraries
  • Companies (Publishers/Vendors)
    • EBSCO
    • Elsevier
    • Ex Libris
    • Frontiers
    • Gale
    • PLOS
    • Scholastic
  • New Resources
    • Dashboards
    • Data Files
    • Digital Collections
    • Digital Preservation
    • Interactive Tools
    • Maps
    • Other
    • Podcasts
    • Productivity
  • New Research
    • Conference Presentations
    • Journal Articles
    • Lecture
    • New Issue
    • Reports
  • Topics
    • Archives & Special Collections
    • Associations & Organizations
    • Awards
    • Funding
    • Interviews
    • Jobs
    • Management & Leadership
    • News
    • Patrons & Users
    • Preservation
    • Profiles
    • Publishing
    • Roundup
    • Scholarly Communications
      • Open Access

July 10, 2013 by Gary Price

Broadband: Nations First College Campus “Super Wi-Fi” Network Launches at West Virginia University

July 10, 2013 by Gary Price

Roundup

  • Nation’s first campus ‘Super Wi-Fi’ network launches at West Virginia University (Formal Launch Announcement from WVU)

The initial phase of the network provides free public Wi-Fi access for students and faculty at the Public Rapid Transit platforms, a 73-car tram system that transports more than 15,000 riders daily.
“Not only does the AIR.U deployment improve wireless connectivity for thePRT System, but also demonstrates the real potential of innovation and new technologies to deliver broadband coverage and capacity to rural areas and small towns to drive economic development and quality of life, and to compete with the rest of the world in the knowledge economy,” said WVU Chief Information Officer John Campbell.
Because the unique propagation characteristics of TV band spectrum enables networks to broadcast Wi-Fi connections over several miles and over hilly and forested terrain, the Federal Communications Commission describes unlicensed access to vacant TV channels as enabling “Super Wi-Fi” services. For example, WVU can add additional Wi-Fi hotspots in other locations around campus where students congregate or lack connectivity today. Future applications include public Wi-Fi access on the PRT cars and machine-to-machine wireless data links supporting control functions of thePRT System.

  • “Nation’s First Campus ‘Super Wi-Fi’ Network Launches at WVU” (via WBOY)

West Virginia University is the first school in the country to launch a “Super Wi-Fi” network.
WVU has launched a new wi-fi system that uses vacant broadcast television frequencies to expand its broadband signal.

  • This university uses empty TV channels to deliver ‘Super Wi-Fi’ for miles (and to thousands of students) (via VentureBeat)

West Virginia University became the first college in the U.S. to use empty TV broadcast channels for something better than ye olde boob tube: Internet.
WVU partnered with AIR.U, which includes Microsoft and Google, to provide free Wi-Fi access for students and faculty that extends far beyond the typical hundred feet of so of “real” Wi-Fi. “Super Wi-Fi,” which isn’t really Wi-Fi at all, received approval from the Federal Communications Commission in 2010.
While standard Wi-Fi uses the 2.4 GHz radio frequency, Super Wi-Fi uses lower frequency TV radio signals — 54MHz to 698 MHz –  which travel farther and propagate more effectively over hills and around obstacles such as trees. Maximum range for the signals appears to be about six miles, with a maximum speed around 10Mbps.

  • Consortium of Higher Education Groups, Microsoft and Google Launch Program to Deploy Big Bandwidth to Underserved College Communities
The founding Higher Ed organizations collectively represent over 500 colleges and universities nationwide, and include the United Negro College Fund, the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), theNational Institute for Technology in Liberal Education, and Gig.U, a consortium of 37 major universities committed to accelerating world-leading broadband connectivity and services.
Founding partners also include Microsoft, Google, the Open Technology Institute at the New America Foundation, a think tank based in Washington D.C., the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and Declaration Networks Group, LLC, a newly created organization established to plan, deploy and operate Super Wi-Fi technologies.
  • Air.U FAQ (via New America Foundation)
    4 pages; PDF. 

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Data Files, News, Roundup

SHARE:

lj

About Gary Price

Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com. Gary is also the co-founder of infoDJ an innovation research consultancy supporting corporate product and business model teams with just-in-time fact and insight finding.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Job Zone

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Infodocket Posts

NSF Releases Public Access Plan 2.0; NISO Welcomes New Board Members; & More News Headlines

AI For Drug Discovery: Digital Science Fully Acquires OntoChem EU Busy with AI Assessing Copyright in Third Countries and Making Proposals For the Book Sector GPO Kicks Off Second Pilot ...

New Data From Circana: "Soaring Sales of LGBTQ Fiction Defy Book Bans and Showcase Diversity in Storytelling"

From Circana: Sales of LGBTQ fiction in the U.S. reached an all-time high in the 12 months ending May 2023, according to Circana, formerly IRI and The NPD Group, increasing by ...

University of Maryland Libraries Acquires Ford’s Theatre Records

From the University of Maryland Libraries: The University of Maryland Libraries is excited to announce the acquisition of Ford’s Theatre records. The Ford’s Theatre records will be archived with Special ...

Are Public Computers In Libraries Becoming Obsolete?; Chicago Sun-Times Introduces a 'Right to Be Forgotten' Policy; & More...

AI Is Used Widely, but Lawmakers Have Set Few Rules (via Stateline) Are Public Computers in Libraries Becoming Obsolete? (via Government Technology) EveryLibrary and GLAAD Partner On a “Playbook to ...

World First: Researchers Create CO2 Measurement Tool to Calculate Emissions Caused by Stored Digital Data

From  Loughborough University (via Newswise): By 2025, it is estimated that the global data will surpass 180 zettabytes The amount of digital data is doubling every two years A typical ...

Canada: National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) Launches Its First-Ever Artificial Intelligence Narrated Audiobook

Here’s the Full Text of a NNELS Announcement: Have you noticed an increase in news lately about Artificial Intelligence (AI)? It is certainly a hot topic and something most of ...

Indiana School Librarians Worry New Law Banning 'Obscene' Books Will Harm Their Work and Students; Chicago Sun-Times Introduces...

Bloomsbury: Survival of Publishers Points to AI Prophecy Overkill (via FT, Subs Only) ||| Archived Version Indiana School Librarians Worry New Law Banning ‘Obscene’ Books Will Harm Their Work and ...

Journal Article: "Global Trends in Digital Preservation: Outsourcing Versus In-House Practices"

The article linked below was recently published by the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science (JOLIS). Title Global Trends in Digital Preservation: Outsourcing Versus In-House Practices Authors Rafiq AhmadBacha Khan ...

Not Real News: An Associated Press Roundup of Untrue Stories Shared Widely on Social Media This Week

From the Associated Press: A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were ...

Report: Lawsuit Challenges Arkansas Law Allowing Librarians to Be Criminally Charged Over ‘Harmful’ Materials; Freedom to Read Foundation...

From the Arkansas Times A group of public libraries and supporters filed a federal lawsuit Friday to challenge a new state law that aims to censor what books children can get to ...

Yale Launches LUX, A Powerful New Search Tool For Cross-Collection Exploration

From the Yale Library: LUX: Collection Discovery—a new cross-collection search tool—provides users worldwide with online access to more than 17 million items within Yale University’s museums, libraries, and archives. “The ...

Five New or Recently Updated Reports From the Congressional Research Service (CRS)

A small selection of new or recently updated reports from the Congressional Research Service. Is That Climate Change? The Science of Extreme Event Attribution Juneteenth: Fact Sheet Montana’s TikTok Ban ...

ADVERTISEMENT

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Tweets by infoDOCKET

ADVERTISEMENT

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • Programs+
  • Design
  • Leadership
  • People
  • COVID-19
  • Advocacy
  • Opinion
  • INFOdocket
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Booklists
  • Prepub Alert
  • Book Pulse
  • Media
  • Readers' Advisory
  • Self-Published Books
  • Review Submissions
  • Review for LJ

Awards

  • Library of the Year
  • Librarian of the Year
  • Movers & Shakers 2022
  • Paralibrarian of the Year
  • Best Small Library
  • Marketer of the Year
  • All Awards Guidelines
  • Community Impact Prize

Resources

  • LJ Index/Star Libraries
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies

Events & PD

  • Online Courses
  • In-Person Events
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Submit Features/News
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Careers at MSI


© 2023 Library Journal. All rights reserved.


© 2022 Library Journal. All rights reserved.