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REACH-3MC Glossary of TermsThe following are definitions of common terms and phrases that are used when describing the REACH-3MC project.
- ARRA - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was signed into law on February 17, 2009. Also known as the "Stimulus Package," it establishes $7.2 Billion in funding for Broadband Infrastructure, Public Computing Centers and Sustainable Broadband Adoption programs.
- Backbone - Main infrastructure of an Internet provider's network, sometimes referred to as the "core" backbone of a network.
- Backhaul - Intermediate link between a local network and a major Internet backbone and/or major interconnection points to access the global Internet. For many existing Internet Service Provider's in the REACH-3MC service area, a lack of backhaul or backhaul that is too expensive due to remote geographic location is the main barrier to improved broadband service. REACH-3MC attempts to solve the backhaul problem for communities in the service area.
- Bandwidth - The amount of data that can be sent in a time period. Measures size or capacity of a connection. Measured in Mbps: Megabits per second, one million bits per second. Or Gbps: Gigabits per second, one thousand megabits per second.
- BIP - The Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) is administered by the US Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service (RUS). $2.5 Billion is to be dispersed over two rounds of funding. Under BIP, RUS will award grants, loans and loan/grant combinations for Broadband Infrastructure.
- Broadband - Uses analog signals to divide fiber-optic cable into several channels with each channel at its own frequency. Broadband has become synonymous with high-speed Internet connectivity over time.
- BTOP - The Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program (BTOP) is administered by the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Totaling $4.7 billion, BTOP provides grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in un-served and underserved areas, to enhance broadband capacity at public computer centers, and to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service. Through this support, BTOP will also advance the Recovery Act's objectives to spur job creation and stimulate long-term economic growth and opportunity. REACH-3MC is funded by BTOP.
- Burst Speed - The maximum speed at which a device can operate without interruption, generally only for short periods. This is in contrast to throughput, which indicates the average speed at which a device can operate under ordinary conditions.
- Burstable - The ability to temporarily increase the capacity of your broadband connection for times when there is a dramatic increase in traffic. For example, Merit offers a burstable connection that has a base bandwidth level with the ability to immediately burst to higher bandwidths when need or required.
- Central Office - Physical building that houses inside plant equipment including routers, regeneration amplification, collocation space and other important networking hardware. Telephone companies locate telephone switching equipment at Central Offices.
- Colocation Facility - Form of data center where network providers, such as Merit and REACH-3MC partners locate network, server and storage equipment and interconnect to a variety of other network service providers.
- Community Anchor Institution - Community anchor institutions (CAIs, sometimes called anchor institutions) are non-profit organizations that often provide essential services to the public. Universities, colleges, community colleges, K12 schools, libraries, health care facilities, social service providers, government and municipal offices are all community anchor institutions.
- Conduit - Tube or duct for enclosing electric wires or fiber-optic cable, typically used in underground fiber-optic construction.
- CWDM - Coarse Wave Division Multiplexing allows for a multiplication in capacity and bi-directional communications over a strand of fiber. Transmission of information via light over fiber-optics can be thought of like a prism. Communication paths or waves are colors in the spectrum. A CWDM system creates waves that have wide bands, yielding a total of 16 waves for a given path.
- Dark Fiber - A fiber strand that is not being used by any entity and carries no Internet traffic, i.e. fiber that is not "lit" by equipment transmitting data via light.
- DSL - Digital Subscriber Line. DSL uses standard telephone lines to deliver high-speed Internet to homes and businesses.
- DWDM - Dense Wave Division Multiplexing allows for a multiplication in capacity and bi-directional communications over a strand of fiber via waves. A DWDM system creates waves that have thin bands, yielding 80 waves total for a given path. DWDM systems are more expensive than CWDM systems due to the amount of waves possible.
- Fiber (Fiber Strand) - Optical fiber is made of flexible glass that can support very high data transfer rates. An individual glass fiber, roughly the thickness of a human hair, is capable of carrying a distinct signal transmitted in the form of pulses of light. A single strand of fiber is capable of transmitting over a million simultaneous telephone calls, or nearly 80 gigabits of digital information per second (80,000,000,000 pulses of light per second), using current telecommunications equipment.
- Fiber Jumper - A fiber jumper, sometimes called a fiber patch cord is a length of fiber cabling fitted with LC, SC, MTRJ or ST connectors at each end. Jumpers are used in the same manner as patch cords, to connect end devices or network hardware to the structured cabling system.
- Fiber Optics - Optical fiber (or "fiber optic") refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light pulses along a glass or plastic strand or fiber. Optical fiber carries much more information than conventional copper wire and is in general not subject to electromagnetic interference and the need to retransmit signals. The capacity is limited only by the equipment on each end of the fiber. Half of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Charles K. Kao, who pioneered the use of fiber optics.
- Fiber Optic Cable - A cable containing a bundle of fiber strands.
- Fiber Optic Link - Any optical transmission channel designed to connect two end terminals or be connected in series with other channels.
- Fusion Splice - A method of splicing in which two segments of fiber are fused or melted together using heat. A fusion splice results in less power loss than mechanical splicing.
- Gbps - Gigabits per second, one thousand megabits per second. 1,000,000,000 bits per second. REACH-3MC will create a backbone with a 10 Gbps core backbone and 1 Gbps laterals.
- Hand hole - An opening in a conduit or sheath to access fiber-optic cable and wires for splicing. Hand holes get their name as the opening is typically a hole big enough for hands.
- Innerduct - Located within a conduit or sheath, innerduct separates strands of fiber-optic cable from others. A sheath or conduit may be made up of multiple bundles of fiber, each enclosed with its own innerduct and often owned by separate providers.
- Interconnection - The linkage, by wire, radio, satellite or other means, of two or more existing telecommunications carriers
or operators with one another for the purpose of allowing or enabling the subscribers of one carrier or operator to access or reach the subscribers of the other carriers or operators. Networks feature Interconnection Points with other networks, including Tier 1 Internet providers that allow users to access websites all over the world.
- IPTV - Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is a system through which digital television service is delivered using traditional IP architecture and networking.
- ISP - An Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides access to the Internet for end-users. ISPs operate networks that connect end-users to the Tier 1 Internet, allowing them to access resources worldwide. ISPs function as on-ramps to the Internet.
- Last Mile - The connection between a customer and telephone or cable company or Internet Service Provider (ISP). Last Mile providers serve end-users via direct connections to homes and businesses. The ARRA Broadband Stimulus has designated two categories of infrastructure: Last Mile and Middle Mile.
- Lateral - A fiber path extending from the backbone of a network to an organization's network. REACH-3MC proposes to connect several community anchor institutions to the network via fiber laterals.
- Mbps - Megabits per second, one million bits per second. 1,000,000 bits per second
- Mechanical Splice - A method of splicing in which fiber jumpers are used to connect one segment of fiber to another.
- Middle Mile - According to the NTIA NOFA, a Middle Mile project refers to a broadband infrastructure project that does not predominantly provide broadband service to end users or to end-user devices. Middle Mile infrastructure feeds Last Mile infrastructure, often supplying bandwidth and a connection to a comprehensive backbone, central offices (COs), Tier 1 Internet PoPs and data centers. REACH-3MC is considered Middle Mile infrastructure because it will connect Community Anchor Institutions to Merit's backbone, as well as provide backhaul and connectivity to Last Mile ISPs in communities along the fiber route, improving the service they will be able to provide end-users.
- Make-Ready - Everything that needs to be done to make a facility ready to receive the fiber-optic cable or similar preparations necessary to build fiber along a given route. This could include: permitting, masonry, electrical work, moving existing cabling to make room for new attachments.
- Multicast - A process of transmitting data from one source to many destinations.
- Network Access Points (NAP) - Commonly referred to as Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), NAPs or IXPs are places in which large network providers converge for the direct exchange of traffic. Typically, an ISP or network provider will access Tier 1 global providers and their networks via NAPs or IXPs, though they also serve as meet points for like networks. NAPs or IXPs have been built all across the globe to handle today's massive Internet traffic. NAPs are also sometimes referred to as Carrier Hotels or ISP Shopping Malls because of the many different organizations available in NAPs for global, national or regional transport of network traffic.
- Node - A node is any device connected to a computer network. Nodes can be computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, or various other network appliances. On an IP network, a node is any device with an IP address. Merit's backbone features the facilities of several Merit Members as nodes. Community Anchor Institutions and other Merit Members are planned nodes of the REACH-3MC project.
- NOFA - Notice of Funds Availability, both BTOP and BIP issued NOFAs for each round of Broadband Stimulus Funding. The NOFA contains important information regarding the rules and regulations that apply to the award of funding under either program, including "Open Access" and "Non-discrimination" conditions. Each NOFA also details the criteria used to evaluate prospective proposals.
- NTIA - The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the executive branch agency principally responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policies. In this role, NTIA frequently works with other Executive Branch agencies to develop and present the Administration’s position on these issues. NTIA also manages the Federal use of spectrum; performs cutting-edge telecommunications research and engineering, including resolving technical telecommunications issues for the Federal government and private sector; and administers infrastructure and public telecommunications facilities grants.
- Pole Permits - A permit required to attach anything to a telephone or utility pole and are typically obtained from utility companies and local municipalities. REACH-3MC will string fiber along utility poles and therefore will require many Pole Permits.
- Point of Presence (PoP) - An Internet point of presence is an access point to a carrier's network or the Tier 1 Internet. It is a physical location that houses servers, routers and other technical equipment. It may be housed in either part of the facilities of a telecommunications provider that the ISP rents or a location separate from the telecommunications provider. ISPs typically have multiple POPs, sometimes numbering in the thousands. POPs are also located at NAPs, IXPs and colocation centers.
- Right of Way (ROW) - The privilege of someone to pass over land belonging to someone else. In the context of fiber construction, ROWs need to be obtained to build fiber on public roads—both local municipalities and Michigan Department of Transportation.
- Router - A router is a device or, in some cases, software in a computer, that determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded toward its destination. The router decides which way to send each information packet based on its current understanding of the state of the networks it is connected to.
- RUS - The US Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service (RUS) is responsible for distributing $2.5 billion in ARRA Broadband Stimulus funding. Under the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP), RUS will award grants, loans and loan/grant combinations for Broadband Infrastructure. RUS has a history in helping rural communities with their telecommunications needs dating back to electricity and telephone service.
- SFP - Small form-factor pluggable (SFP) is a specification for a new generation of optical modular transceivers to connect fiber to network equipment. It is a popular industry format supported by many network component vendors. SFP transceivers are designed to support SONET, Gigabit Ethernet, Fiber Channel, and other communications standards.
- Sheath - Similar to conduit, the sheath is an outer casing that encloses multiple strands of electric wire or fiber-optic cable.
- Slack Loop - Excess fiber between coil-line equipment. The slack loop provides additional fiber along the path to be used for fiber repairs, splices, etc.
- Splice - A physical connection between the ends of two fiber strands.
- Splice Case - A heavy-duty weatherproof case designed to protect a splice in a cable. A splice case commonly includes a splice tray for organizing the splices between the metallic or glass conductors.
- Switch - A network device that filters and forwards a piece of a message (also called packets) between network segments.
- Tier 1 Internet - With the advent of broadband as a telecommunications resource, the first model of the Internet that emerged involved a number of Tier 1 Internet providers connecting to one another and forming a central trunk or superhighway that allowed a user to access any site anywhere on the globe. ISPs functioned as commercial on-ramps to the superhighway and charged users for access and bandwidth. Today, traffic on the Tier 1 Internet is decreasing as more and more traffic is retained by Regional networks that offer users better connections to content that is stored closer.
- Wave - Using the latest technology, such as Wave Division Multiplexing, a beam of light can be dispersed or refracted into multiple waves. A signal that allows for the transport of information and data packets can be devoted to each wave so as to maximize the efficiency of a given fiber-optic strand. One way of thinking about waves and multiplexing is to consider light and a prism. A prism refracts a single beam of light into a spectrum of color—each color its own wave. In fiber-optics, each color or wave can carry its own signal at a dedicated bandwidth for Internet and telecommunications traffic.
- Wave Division Multiplexing - Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) is a method of combining multiple signals on laser beams at various infrared (IR) wavelengths for transmission along fiber optic media. Each laser is modulated by an independent set of signals.
- Wavelength - Commonly referred to as a Wave. Wavelength (i.e. color of light) is the distance between identical points in the adjacent cycles of a waveform signal propagated in space or along a wire.
- Video conferencing - Provides real-time interactive video and audio to a distributed number of participants simultaneously.
- Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - Technology that enables broadband users to send and receive telephone calls over the Internet.
Return to the main Merit ARRA Project web page.
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