HTC`s Fiber Optic Infrastructure Powers the Presidential Primary

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Htc’s Fiber Optic
Infrastructure Powers the
Presidential Primary Debates
Mount Rushmore-style sand sculptures of the candidates drew attention at
last January’s debates in Myrtle Beach, but the true sculptors were HTC employees working behind the scenes to shape communications infrastructure.
By Nicole Hyman ■ HTC
E
arly in January, an HTC blog
broke the story announcing HTC
as the official communications
provider for the Republican presidential
debate to be held on January 10 at the
Myrtle Beach Convention Center and
the Democratic debate to be held on January 21 at the Palace Theatre in Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina. But it was really
no surprise that the organizing committee for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber
of Commerce selected HTC. As the nation’s largest telephone cooperative and
25th largest telephone company, and as
an experienced provider of services over
an advanced fiber-to-the-premises network, HTC could deliver everything
that was required: voice, video, ISDN,
long distance, Internet/broadband connectivity, wireless LAN, wireless phone,
communications consulting services,
dedicated project management, upgrades
to 1 Gbps of Internet bandwidth, wireless equipment, installation and more.
Without access to the voice, video
and data services needed to broadcast the
event, the media would not have been
able to publish their stories and distribute video clips. The majority of journalists covering the events were equipped
with Internet-enabled PCs and handheld
devices, and HTC secured the wireless
infrastructure for those needing access.
In the period leading up to the debates, HTC used its blog to keep the
public informed about its preparations.
Anyone could access the blog to find
out the latest news and results about the
technology serving the debates in anticipation of the big events.
Republican Debate:
Fiber Optics and a Cellsite
on Wheels
Chief Operating Officer Mike Hagg
played a visionary role in everything
HTC did for the debates. “As the official communications provider of the
debates, HTC spent significant time
assuring that the technology infrastructure not only met but exceeded the standards used by the networks,” Hagg says.
Thanks to Bluewave, HTC’s reliable
fiber optic network, FOX, CNN and
Republican presidential primary debate, Myrtle Beach Convention Center, January 10, 2008.
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Democratic presidential primary debate, Palace Theatre in Myrtle Beach, January 21, 2008.
other media companies were able to experience the speed of
HTC’s technology to publish stories, submit video and communicate with the nation and the world.
HTC also provided a Cellsite on Wheels (or “COW”) offering 2G and 3G wireless access, along with a dedicated team of
technicians both on and off site. The HTC COW is a trailer used
to house the transmitting/receiving equipment necessary to provide wireless service on a temporary or event-driven basis. The
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COW, which provides service similar to that provided by HTC’s
network of permanent towers, was deployed to assist with the
increased cellular phone demand created by the debates.
Like the permanent HTC network, the COW is 3G-capable. HTC launched its 3G network in 2007, providing data
speeds up to five times faster than previous wireless technology.
This allowed journalists and campaign workers at the debates
who were equipped with 3G handsets and wireless data plans
to surf the Internet, download files and access e-mail remotely
at much greater speeds than ever before.
HTC had to work under tremendous time pressure. Network Engineering Design Supervisor John Anderson, who also
played an instrumental role in setting up communications for
the debates, says, “Although HTC knew about the debates
months in advance, the requirements for each type of service
were not specified until weeks before.”
To prepare for the Republican debate, which was broadcast by
Fox News, HTC’s plant department completed a fiber upgrade
throughout the Myrtle Beach Convention Center that served as
the backbone of the communications infrastructure. The fiber
network was a must if HTC was to provide 1 Gbps of wireless
access to accommodate the more than 350 connected devices.
According to the South Carolina Republican Party, 614
journalists were credentialed to use the media facilities at the
Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Additional media personnel
worked outside the facility and did not require credentialing.
HTC engineers provided secure connectivity for all of them
with HTC’s own “Data Secret Service” (not to be confused
with the Secret Service officers who ushered the candidates to
the podium), using Virtual Private Network (VPN) services
for multiple organizations. HTC had six employees on hand to
assist should any problems arise; however, proper planning and
preparation made for a very successful event.
Democratic Debate: A Forklift Overhaul
for the Palace Theatre
The Democratic debate, broadcast by CNN, required some
infrastructure updates in order to handle the communications
requirements specified by CNN. Prior to the debates the Pal-
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ace Theatre had only a
single-line telephone
wire in place. HTC
brought fiber connectivity to the Palace Theatre and then
provided for its internal networking needs
with CAT 5 cabling
for network connectivity and RG-6 cable
for television service.
The new internal cabling was then connected to the new fiber backbone. Backup
for the video signal
was guaranteed via
this fiber optic cable
and the Internet.
Unlike the Republican debate, the
Democratic debate
used an additional
venue, Phillips Seafood House, as a press
filing center so all
Cellsite on wheels (“COW”) set up for the
journalists could reRepublican debate.
port to their blogs and
company Web sites
throughout the event. The press/media center’s network connected roughly 350 wireless devices using the gigabit Internet
backbone. Altogether, HTC had nine employees between the
two locations providing support. “After the debate, CNN was
especially complimentary of HTC and noted that the Democratic debate was the easiest to this point,” says Anderson. Considering the technology available to CNN in other locations,
it was gratifying for HTC employees to observe them taking
advantage of the solutions HTC provided. HTC raised the bar
for future communication partners.
“We worked with the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, the national media and all the relevant stakeholders
to make sure that everyone had connectivity necessary for an
event of that caliber,” says Tom Vitt, HTC Director of Marketing. “We successfully met the network challenges and when
the stakes were high, we delivered.”
Just like the team of artists that sculpted the sand sculptures
featuring the Republican and Democratic candidates, HTC’s
team of professionals equipped the networks, media, site staff,
production crews and more with the telecommunications services necessary to pull off two of the most important events in
Myrtle Beach history. When the world was watching, HTC
was poised and ready to tackle the biggest communications
and network challenges ever faced in our area – not to mention
ultimately delivering a message for the next president.
On short notice, HTC provided
the connectivity that supported
not only the live broadcasts
of the debates but the hundreds
of real-time reports –
including video clips – filed by
the journalists in attendance.
“We like to let our customers know that when you work
with HTC, you’ll receive the same level of service that we
provided for the next president of the United States,” says
Vitt. BBP
About the Author
Nicole Hyman is Senior Marketing Coordinator of HTC, Inc.
Founded in 1952, HTC is a local communications leader providing a full menu of services in Horry County and parts of Georgetown County, South Carolina. HTC Bluewave, its state-of-theart FTTP network, delivers unparalleled bandwidth for Internet
access, digital video and traditional voice service through a single
delivery point. For additional information about HTC, call 843365-2154 or visit www.htcinc.net.
The Fiber-to-the-Home Council, the IMCC and
Broadband Properties Magazine
Congratulate
For becoming a Silver Sponsor
at the 2009 Broadband Properties Summit.
For more information on Motorola,
visit www.motorola.com.
You are cordially invited to come see
Motorola at the upcoming
April 27 – 29, 2009
Hyatt Regency DFW • Dallas, TX
New Business Models
For Fiber Communities
To Exhibit or Sponsor, contact: Irene Gonzales at
[email protected], or call 316-733-9122.
&
For other inquiries, call 877-588-1649,
or visit www.bbpmag.com
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