CORNING, NY AND NASHUA, NH—Corning Incorporated, in association with Lightwave, will present the 5th Annual FTTXcellence Award this year on September 23, 2008 at the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Conference in Nashville, TN. The Corning/Lightwave FTTXcellence Award winner will be the individual who, in the opinion of the award judges, has made the most significant contribution in the past year to the evolution of optical communications technology deeper into access networks in North America. It is hoped that by bringing attention to major advances in this space, it will generate more momentum toward the ultimate goal of bringing fiber to every business and residential subscriber.
“The FTTXcellence Award has received outstanding nominations in the past four years, and each year we have recognized a deserving individual for their contributions to the FTTx market,” said Clark Kinlin, president and CEO of Corning Cable Systems. “As the leader in passive solutions for FTTx, it is fitting that Corning does its part to recognize those who lead to its success.”
Previous winners include Ron Troyer, plant manager at Union Communications (Farmington, NH), who won the 2007 FTTXcellence Award primarily for his role in championing Union’s FTTH strategy. “I think the key for us now is to position ourselves for what we know is coming,” Troyer said. “So rather than wait till the day where somebody says, ‘Hey, I need 50 meg’ and say, ‘Well, it’s going to take me four years to build that for you,’ we want to have it in place for the day when that becomes a common request.”
Glen Lang received the 2006 award for his work as founder and CEO of Connexion Technologies (www.connexiontechnologies.net), a company that deploys and operates FTTH networks for developers and also acts as an agent for homeowners’ associations to assemble and deliver bulk services over these networks. Lang received multiple nominations for the award. “I have personally been in the communication arena for 25 years and have never experienced the [same] excitement, energy, and commitment from anyone I have ever worked with,” read one nomination.
James Hettrick of the City of Loma Linda, CA won the second annual FTTXcellence Award in 2005 and George Bell of Verizon received the inaugural award in 2004.
FTTXcellence Award candidates must be nominated by a peer; candidates can include individuals at carriers, utilities, municipalities, or other organizations that have launched an FTTx project; individuals at vendors or research organizations whose work has benefited FTTx technology development; politicians or other policymakers who have made a significant impact in the regulatory or legal arena; and other deserving individuals that have been active in FTTx in North America. Deadline for nominations is August 15, 2008; all of the contest details and entry forms can be found at http://lw.pennnet.com/extras/lw_corning_award.cfm, or by sending an email to [email protected].
In addition to recognition during the September 23 keynote session of the FTTH Conference, the winner will receive a Steuben glass art piece and a $7,500 donation in the winner’s name will be made to One Economy Corporation (www.one-economy.com), a national non-profit organization created to maximize the potential of technology to help low-income people build assets and raise their standard of living. Finally, Lightwave will profile the winner in a subsequent issue of the magazine.