Updated 05/25/2011 01:37 PM
Fiber network helps Utica students get better connected
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UTICA, N.Y. - It's normal for students in the Utica district to connect to people worlds away as part of their class work and now they'll be able to do so even faster.
The Utica School District held a ribbon cutting with Northland Communications to celebrate an agreement that gives the district access to a 10 gig fiber network.
Students are now expected to see fewer delays when using computers.
Officials say they're getting the service at a special rate that could be up to an 88 percent discount on normal service charges, but that's not the only way they're saving money.
"The other thing it allows us to do, too, is cloud computing, which we've actually put in place. What that means is that we can create a virtual desktop. For us, that means we can take advantage of the current desktop with current technology, and we don't have to buy new machines," said Superintendent James Willis.
Utica's superintendent the fast fiber network will also come in handy when classes use computers for distance learning, where they study subjects like Mandarin Chinese.