PROVIDENCE – OSHEAN Inc. has included a proposal to install an underwater fiber-optic cable to Block Island in its application for $30 million in federal stimulus money.
OSHEAN’s request for funds from the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) would provide Block Island with increased bandwidth capacity as part of an effort to improve broadband capabilities across the state.
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
Learn More
The organization said it would collaborate with the Rhode Island Network for Educational Technology (RINET) to provide services to Block Island institutions.
There also has been discussion of collaborating with offshore-wind developer Deepwater Wind to install the submarine fiber optic cable alongside the electricity transmission cable that would connect Block Island to the mainland as part of Deepwater’s proposed Block Island wind farm project.
“This is a great example of two entities working in unison to take full advantage of not only federal stimulus money, but new energy initiatives for the betterment of the state,” OSHEAN President and CEO George Loftus said in a statement. “We are very excited to be working with Deepwater Wind. Without their cooperation, extending the cable to Block Island would be cost prohibitive.”
Last month, OSHEAN and Ocean State Libraries were awarded $1.2 million in BTOP funding, plus an additional $400,000 from The Champlin Foundations, to improve broadband capacity in the state’s public libraries.
