SOCRATES

SOCRATES Looks to Onvoy for Videoconferencing Answers Telecommunications System will Connect 67 Schools and Libraries with Minneapolis Firm’s Help

Can you tell if a student is chewing gum 50 miles away? Members of the South Central Regional Area Telecommunications System (SOCRATES) can.

Onvoy, Inc., a Minneapolis-based telecommunications company, has announced a three-year deal worth more than $3.5 million in which a number of educational institutions and libraries in a variety of south central Minnesota communities will be linked via high-speed data lines—carrying Internet information and high quality video for distance learning applications.

Applications of the Onvoy network infrastructure for schools and public libraries will include access to online curriculum resources, online classes, and professional development opportunities, as well as an electronic community for ITV and online class teachers to post assignments, readings, course outlines, etc. SOCRATES provides ITV classes and continuing education and information seminars and electronic based management services for administration and data driven decision making. Public library applications will include library automation and electronic reference and research services.

“Onvoy’s participation in distance learning with SOCRATES goes right to the core of our company’s mission,” said Janice Aune, Chairman and CEO of Onvoy. “Onvoy exists, in large part, in order to ensure that rural communities reap the benefits of advanced communications technologies. We’re using those technologies to create synergies among institutions that are vital to those communities—and the prospect of helping to improve the education of thousands of students make us particularly proud of both our mission and this opportunity.”

Onvoy’s expertise will help ensure that the aggressive installation schedule is met, which means that service and equipment will be ready to go in all participating SOCRATES locations prior to students returning to class in August.

“Onvoy brings to the SOCRATES region a depth of telecommunications and Internet access services that provide core instructional support and information access support services for schools and public libraries in South Central Minnesota and which are based on leading edge technology,” said Dale Carrison, Director of SOCRATES. “The students and all person in the SOCRATES region will be well served by Onvoy and its local site cooperating telecommunications service providers.”

Onvoy will be partnering with local rural telephone companies throughout the SOCRATES service area to ensure the fastest possible installation and support of this advanced educational tool.

About SOCRATES
SOCRATES (South Central Regional Area Telecommunications System) provides data and video connectivity to schools and libraries in South Central Minnesota. It allows new ways of instruction and educational experience for students and teachers, enables interactive and distance education opportunities, gives access to world-wide information resources and services, and permits creative alternatives to classroom instruction techniques now utilized in K-12 education and to reference and research services now offered by public libraries. For more information, please visit www.projectsocrates.org.

About Onvoy, Inc.
Onvoy was established in 1988 as a collaborative effort of independent local telephone companies whose mission was to provide a wide range of leading edge telecommunications services. Onvoy offers network services, voice, videoconferencing, data and Internet solutions to wholesale and retail market segments serving more than 350 communities in Minnesota and beyond. Onvoy is a privately-held corporation with headquarters in Minneapolis. For more information, visit www.onvoy.com.