The CONCERT Network (Communications for North Carolina Education, Research, and Technology) is a mid-level network that serves the State of North Carolina. CONCERT is connected directly to the NSFNET Backbone Network. It is the intention of CONCERT to offer NSFNET connections to all higher education institutions in North Carolina. This proposal requests support to establish six new connections with a special emphasis on community colleges in the state for: Cape Fear CC, Carteret CC, Central Piedmont CC, Forsyth Technical CC, Guilford Technical CC, and Wake Technical CC. A primary goal of CONCERT is to facilitate collaborative projects and sharing of resources between institution, including those outside the state. CONCERT will provide operations management and information services as well as provide appropriate dedicated connections to the six institutions. The universities need greater functionality and network speed to be able to access supercomputers, libraries, and make file transfers along with being able to implement a more reliable mail system. Students and faculty research will benefit from the link. This is also a unique opportunity for the schools to explore innovative educational resources.
