Keep Up-to-Date via iFiber's website
Three new members (pictured above) have joined the iFiber Board of Directors. Read all about iFiber's leadership team and stay up-to-date on the latest news via iFiber's website.
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iFiber Service Maintained During Ice Storm |
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iFiber’s commitment to maintaining its core sites passed a major test during the ice storm that crippled much of northwestern Illinois Feb. 22-23. A power outage affected Eastland Middle School, site of the iFiber broadband network’s core distribution site in the Shannon region. When the site lost power, it went onto battery back-up as it is designed to do.
When the generator failed to start as expected, iFiber Board President Eric Haan, District Technology Director for Eastland CUSD 308, knew there was a critical issue. Upon investigation it was discovered that an animal had gnawed a hole through the cooling system’s generator cap (see photo).
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Call JULIE Before You Dig
As Spring construction season ramps up, iFiber urges you to call 811 before you dig to avoid service disruptions and damage to buried utilities...any day from January through December!
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Broadband Industry News...
iFiber shares Broadband Communities Magazine articles to emphasize the importance of fiber in bridging the digital divide. As a provider of high-speed broadband transport services in Northwest Illinois, iFiber is committed to bridging the digital divide with an Open Access fiber network. iFiber is a not-for-profit organization that offers low-cost solutions for both public and private entities. High-speed broadband is crucial to the future of northwest Illinois communities.
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Important iFiber Information
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Please don’t work in the cabinet, enclosure, and/or equipment labeled iFiber. This could accidentally cause service interruptions in your location and could impact others as well. Call NIMC at 877-753-8100 or e-mail nimc@niu.edu if you notice damage to the equipment/enclosures, or have questions about anything that looks out of place.
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Contact sales@ifiber.org and/or your local iFiber Outreach specialist if you are aware of, or are planning, any construction to your building or property. iFiber will investigate and determine if this could impact the connection or equipment. As a reminder, only iFiber contractors are allowed to relocate iFiber cable, enclosures, and equipment.
- iFiber engineers work to maintain the iFiber equipment remotely. Unless instructed by an iFiber engineer/Outreach specialist, please do not unplug or attempt to connect to any iFiber equipment.
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If you find that your Internet services are running slow consistently, contact sales@ifiber.org and let us help. iFiber provides your connection to the world via fiber. Individual services (such as Internet or phone service) are via a third party ISP. If anything is partially working (e.g. the Internet works, but is just slow), it’s quickest to start with whoever provides that service. iFiber will always support customer concerns; however, most often there is an issue with the service and not the fiber lines. Fiber is one of the most stable connection types and iFiber is committed to doing a great job managing its services. iFiber also can provide bandwidth reports to show you how your service is used and help you make an informed decision.
- iFiber is a community-based, not-for-profit organization with an Open Access fiber system in your area. iFiber has low-cost solutions for both public and private entities. High-speed networks are crucial to the future of northwest Illinois communities.
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PCs for People Offers Electronic Recycling
PCs for People (501(c)(3) is a national leader in IT Asset Disposition. iFiber is pleased to share information about this not-for-profit organization. PCs for People will work with iFiber Community Anchor Institutions interested in donating excess computers and other electronic items for recycling or data destruction. Recycled computers are refurbished and distributed back into the community to support equal access to technology.
PCs for People currently is supporting an effort in Whiteside County, IL, partnering with the Whiteside Area Career Center to give away 500 computers to low-income individuals. Organizations interested in contributing "retired" computers to PCs for People, should visit PC for People's website: https://www.pcsforpeople.org/ewaste-pickup-and-removal/.
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E-Rate is a program of USAC that gives funding to schools and libraries through an open bidding process. USAC, or the Universal Services Administrative Company, is an entity designated by the Federal Communications Commission responsible for administering a roughly $10 billion fund that can be used to pay for Internet connections within impoverished regions, whether rural or urban. In Illinois, the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) has entered into state master contracts with vendors to support ICN customers for their E-rate category 2 purchases. The state has already conducted a competitive bidding process and selected vendors. Additional information is available on the iFiber website.
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Northern Illinois Monitoring Center (NIMC) is designed to provide wide-area support for iFiber customers.
For urgent issues, please call the NIMC number 1-877-753-8100 to reach a live agent. For non-urgent issues or questions, you are welcome to Email NIMC at nimc@niu.edu. If you have any questions or concerns, contact us at sales@ifiber.org.
Network Administrators: Register your organization's contacts at nimc@niu.edu. Sign up for e-mail alerts for advance notice about maintenance on the iFiber network or notification of a network down at www.nimc.niu.edu.
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Illinois Fiber
Resources Group
(Not-for-Profit)
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P.O. Box 755, Sycamore IL 60178
(815) 753-8113
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