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Volume 2 Issue 2February 1998

Pilot Project For Video Conferencing Over 4CNet Backbone

Bob Ellsworth
Director, Media and Distance Learning, Butte College

Charles Mawson
Analyst, Telecommunications, CCCCO

In May 1997, the Butte-Glenn Community College District was awarded the 4CNet Backbone Upgrade Coordination Project by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. The project supports the telecommunications infrastructure development effort to accelerate the introduction of advanced telecommunications technologies into institutions of higher learning in the state. One of the essential elements of this effort is to upgrade the 4CNet backbone to include video conferencing.

Butte College, in coordination with the Chancellor’s Office and 4CNet, will soon release a Request for Application (RFA) to select four community colleges within the state to participate in a pilot study that will test the impact of carrying video conferencing over the 4CNet backbone. During the fall 1998, the pilots will gather data, assess the performance of the backbone, and make recommendations for future video services.

Each pilot site participating in the project will connect to the 4CNet backbone through an ISDN dial-up or T-1 connection. This connection will allow each pilot to communicate through the backbone to each of the other pilot sites.

Butte College and 4Cnet will provide access to video bridges to permit multi-point conferencing. Each pilot site will use the PictureTel Venue 2000 Model 50 video conferencing system provided to them through the Telecommunications Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) grants in 1996-97.

The study will include a minimum of three technical sessions. Each session will test for system reliability under a variety of conditions. The engineers at 4CNet will monitor the load on the backbone and will evaluate potential equipment configurations. The results of this technical study will set a direction for the future design and configuration of the network to support the anticipated growth of video conferencing statewide.

The study will also include a minimum of three open forums using video conferencing with 4CNet connectivity. Key personnel at each pilot site will participate in an open discussion concerning the requirement and design of a future video conferencing network. All comments and concerns raised by the participants will be included in a final project report. This report will play an important role in the development of a telecommunications plan to support future applications for video conferencing.

All districts should receive the RFA shortly. From the applications submitted, one pilot site will be selected in each of four regions in the state. Existing facilities, anticipated future applications for video conferencing, and available technical support will be high priorities in pilot site selection.