Governor Rell Announces $5 Million To Link Schools, Libraries To The Net

ENFIELD — Governor M. Jodi Rell announced this week that $5 million will soon be made available to continue linking Connecticut schools and libraries to the internet. Newtown will receive $71,400.

The initiative, known as the Connecticut Education Network (CEN), aims to provide equitable access to high-speed communication in all Connecticut schools and libraries. CEN is an initiative championed by Governor Rell to provide “knowledge at the speed of light” by linking all of Connecticut’s public school districts, institutions of higher education and libraries tone another with a state of the art information technology infrastructure. It is the first state research and education network in the United States to provide fiber-optic connectivity to every school district and higher education campus.

The project is run out of the State’s Department of Information Technology with key staffing and design support provided by the University of Connecticut. For more information, visit ct.gov/cen.

The network currently reaches 160 school districts and 40 higher education institutions.

“Six years ago, I set about to establish a new focus on preparing Connecticut’s schools and libraries for the computer and information technology needs of the 21st Century,” Governor Rell said. “It all begins with the building of telecommunications infrastructure associated with CEN followed by the wiring of schools for the internet. Today, we have a model network, and we continue to make our school buildings and libraries technologically friendly learning environments. This is crucial groundwork that must be done from Canaan to Voluntown and from Darien to Stafford in order to ensure that our young people — our future workforce — has the necessary tools for academic and career success.”

The funds will be put on the agenda of the State Bond Commission, which will meet Friday, October 6, at 10:30 am, in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.