OSHEAN grant will add broadband capacity, jobs

WASHINGTON – About 210 new jobs will be created by the $21.7 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 grant awarded to OSHEAN recently announced by Rhode Island’s congressional delegation.

The $21,739,183 grant will be matched with $10.7 million in funds from private companies and those institutions connecting to the network, according to a news release.

A 339-mile fiber optic network will be constructed, and it will include every county in Rhode Island and neighboring Bristol County, Mass. Dubbed the OSHEAN Beacon 2.0 network, it will bring fiber optic cable to more than 20 community anchor institutions.

The work will increase broadband capacity for community institutions, including schools, libraries, universities, community colleges, hospitals, governments and public-safety agencies. •