Channel-friendly CLEC Windstream has been awarded a five-year, multi-million contract by the National Weather Service (NWS) to deliver high-speed Internet connectivity utilizing Windstream’s Ethernet access and transport to regional NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFO), located throughout the country. Windstream will provide fiber optic circuit installation, Internet services and technical support for these select regional offices that currently have limited Internet access.
The NWS is a component of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an operating unit of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The NWS provides weather, hydrologic and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. NWS data and products form a national information database and infrastructure, which can be used by other governmental agencies, the private sector, the public and the global community.
With such a wide span of responsibilities, accuracy and timeliness of NWS weather reporting is vital. Windstream’s secure, high-speed 100M dedicated Internet circuits will improve NWS’s interagency communication by streamlining and enhancing reporting processes across offices, including the distribution of graphic weather reports.
“It’s such a privilege to collaborate with the National Weather Service, knowing that their reports save lives in many cases,” said Mike Magliato, Windstream’s vice president of government sales and solutions. “With Windstream’s Internet services, including Layer 2 Ethernet, the National Weather Service will have greater bandwidth and flexibility to perform the most accurate, up-to-the-minute weather reporting. This contract benefits not only the NWS, but the many agencies and individuals who regularly rely on its weather reporting capabilities.”
Per the new contract, Windstream will execute the initial circuit build out at the WFO facilities, provide Internet access and equipment, and perform circuit monitoring, maintenance and service restoration as needed.
