NBC
National Broadband Co-Op
A Carrier-Neutral Fiber Optic & Microwave
Broadband Co-Op
Clarendon Foundation
And Visual Link
NBC The project
First “Carrier Neutral” Fiber Optic and Microwave Backbone
Network planed in the USA.
 Combining low cost of Internet bandwidth with low cost of electric
power to help secure the U. S. Data Center industry as the most
cost effective in the world.
 Building instate peering points for ISP’s and government that will
lower the cost of Internet access and increase the fault tolerance of
the Internet in the USA.
 Solving the underlying problem of bandwidth transport cost, which
is the best way to directly address the root cause of the digital
divide, and the only way to sustainably expand broadband service
to unserved and undeserved areas.

World Internet Download Speed
Data courtesy of www.Speedtest.net February 2009
NBC Project Goals
Lower the cost of Broadband Internet by 50%
 Increase the number of Broadband ISPs
 Create an environment to help increase the number
of data centers in the USA.
 Provide a central Internet peering point in each state
 Help the USA maintain its Internet leadership
 Provide a cost effective Diverse Internet Backbone
Connection.

How to achieve our goals
Build a Co-op Fiber Optic and Microwave Backbone
from the primary Internet peering points across the
USA.
 Establish in-state peering points for ISPs to connect in
each state to provide survivability.
 Work with ISPs to help them deploy cost effective
Broadband solutions and expand Broadband services to
underserved areas.
 Work to attract more data centers to the U. S. in order
to maintain its position as the world’s best location for
Data Centers.

Connecting the Resources

Virginia Internet Peering Points have the lowest cost
of bandwidth in the USA. According to U S News &
World Report, more than 50% of the world’s Internet
traffic passes through the Metropolitan Area
Exchange (“MAE”) East in Ashburn, Virginia.
(U. S. News & World Report, April, 2009, page 46)
Primary Peering Points in the USA:
UUNET, SBC, Quest, AT&T

WV - lowest
average cost of
power of any
state.
How the Internet connects
First Phase Overview
National
“Metropolitan Area Exchange”
Map
MAE East
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MAE East is located in Vienna in Northern Virginia.
Over 50% of the world’s Internet traffic routes through Mae East.
Data Centers positioned close to this location have a better
ability to deliver content throughout the world at a lower cost of
Internet bandwidth than any other location in the world.
Data Centers for Yahoo, AOL, AT&T are located here.
Directly connected to the
Center of the Internet

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More than 50 percent of the
world’s Internet traffic goes
through Northern Virginia
The center of the Internet is
located closer to Hampshire and
Morgan Counties than 98% of
the USA
70+ miles from Washington DC
Data center Power usage
Currently Data centers are the largest power users of
any industry in the USA.
 Data Center electricity use doubled between 2000 and
2006, and will double again by 2011.*
 Data centers will continue to Increase in number and
energy consummations as the world’s Internet population
increases.
 In order for the USA to maintain its Data Center industry,
we must provide affordable Broadband to the locations in
the USA with low costs of power.

* U. S. News & World Report, April, 2009, page 46.
Data Center Growth Facts

Human beings created 161 exabytes of data in
2006 - approximately 3 million times the information
in all of the books ever written. This equals a stack
of 12 books from here to the sun. Data use is
expanding at 57% per year.
An exabyte is one quintillion bytes or a billion gigabytes
Source: International Data Corporation (www.idc.com)
http://www.emc.com/leadership/digital-universe/expanding-digital-universe.htm
IDC Report “The Diverse and Exploding Universe”
Power Cost Per State
14
12
10
Cents per
kilowatt hour
WV
NB
VA
FL
TX
CA
8
6
4
2
0
2007

In 2008, 50% of all Data Centers have insufficient power.

By 2010, half of all enterprise Data Centers will have to relocate or outsource
due to electric power limitations. Source: Data Center Institute.
http://www.afcom.com/Data_Center/About_us.asp
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2006_March_23/ai_n26804120/
Data Center growth in the USA
35000000
30000000
25000000
20000000
servers
15000000
10000000
5000000
0
2000
2005
2008
Over $110 Billion will be spent
on just managing servers in 2008
Cost of Internet Bandwidth at
World Internet Peering Points
120
100
Hong KONG
Mae East
London
Inet growth
Inet capasity
80
60
40
20
0
Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2
05 05 05 06 06 06 06 07 07 07 07 08 08
Benefits of Our Project
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Build a Carrier-Neutral
Microwave and Fiber
Internet backbone
across the USA.
Lower bandwidth cost for
ISP’s.
Attract Data Center and
net-centric business to
the USA.
Make Broadband access
affordable to
underserved locations.
What is already in place?

The microwave backbone from Northern Virginia to the Romney WV
Data Center and then branching off to Hampshire and Morgan
counties.
This microwave backbone currently provides broadband internet services to Morgan and
Hampshire counties. This backbone will also act a diverse path and a backup Internet
connection for the NBC Fiber Optic network.

Romney WV Data Center
This is a 28000 Sq foot data center that was purchased from the state of WV in 2006. This
will be the NOC and management office for the NBC project. The Romney WV Data
center will also be offered as an instate peering point for ISP,s and emergency services
In the state of WV.
Current Microwave Backbone
Romney WV Datacenter
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Romney Data Center
One of three built to support
Nationwide Microwave
Network.
Former home of the GSA and
VA Net Data Centers.
Located 100 miles from
Washington DC.
28,000 square foot hardened
structure.
Former Cold War
Microwave Data Network
U. S. Route 50
The Nation’s Backbone
Route 50 was the first highway built from coast to coast. It was given the title of
“The Nations Backbone” by Time Magazine.
Route 50 followed the old wagon trails used by the pioneers. It brought prosperity
to thousands of cities and towns across the USA that were inhabited by the early
settlers of our country. The U. S. Interstate Highway system made Route 50
obsolete. With the NBC project using it as the route for our NBC Backbone,
Route 50 will truly become “The Nation’s Backbone” again -- this time a
Broadband Backbone. And it will bring prosperity back again to the communities
along it’s path.
USA Internet Peering Points
Microwave Backbone 2009
Proposed Fiber Route Phase 1
Fiber Route Phase 2
What is left to do?
Extend the Fiber Optic connection from Northern Virginia
Peering Points to WV.
 Establish an instate peering point plan.
 Continue to build the Microwave Route across the USA.
 Build the Fiber optic network following the Microwave Route.
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