The City of Boulder (the City), the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and the Department of Commerce Laboratories (DOC) share an important fiber optic network that interconnects the participating organizations. The project is named "BRAN" - for Boulder Research and Administrative Network, and the cooperative effort between all the institutions involved has resulted in the ongoing success of this project.
BRAN provides a significant, local, next-generation, fiber optic infrastructure that gives the public service institutions in Boulder, Colorado a competitive advantage in research, higher education, and administrative functions. The network links greatly improve the ability of each of the partner organizations to conduct their business, as well as enhance their ability to serve the public.
The fiber network is over 11 miles in length. The cable path extends generally along a north-south corridor within the City, and the route of the network links the partners' many facilities to capitalize on the network infrastructure already in place, to utilize rights-of-way, and to transect properties that the partners control.
The cost of the project was $1.2 million. Annual operating and maintenance costs are small - less than 5% of the initial outlay. The total (i.e., existing plus out-of-pocket) BRAN project cost were shared equally among the four partner organizations. BRAN provides a significant cost avoidance realized by the partners (for a level of service much less than that provided by BRAN). The project was completed January 2000.