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Volume 1 Issue 1November 1997

Video Conferencing in Northeastern California

Robert Ellsworth
Coordinator for Media and Distance Learning, Butte College

Lassen, Shasta, Siskiyou and Butte Community College Districts recently joined together to assist the remote areas of northeastern California with the creation of a video conferencing network. In a joint effort, the colleges applied to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Rural Utilities System (RUS) for a grant to assist in the building of the infrastructure. The grant consisting of $336,000 was received on February 18, 1997.

The purpose of the video conferencing network is to provide connectivity between colleges, schools, libraries, and medical entities, permitting distance learning, medical use, and other related activities. Each college will develop courses to meet their individual needs and will connect with end-users at specific locations established throughout their district. Time will be reserved on the network for staff development and administrative meetings. Medical hospitals and clinics may also access the network for training and other related needs.

The colleges are also working with the North State Cooperative Library System (NSCLS) to extend its library services.

The network is comprised of a video bridge at each college and 32 end-user sites, all connected together via Integrated Systems Digital Network (ISDN). Where qualified, each end-user site will use Pacific Bell's Education First to assist in making ISDN connections. Installation of the video bridges should be completed this fall. The installation of end-user video codecs and needed ISDN lines will continue throughout the spring. Full operation of the network is anticipated by May 1998. Each college is cooperating in the management of the network.

Each of the four college sites will use Picturetel video conferencing systems provided through funding from the California Community College Telecommunications Infrastructure Grant to connect through the video bridges to other video users statewide.

The RUS network will ultimately be connected with the statewide 4CNet digital network by means of a video node at California State University, Chico.