Five additional Missouri School districts have become customers of Bluebird Network, the company announced today. With the new customers, Bluebird now supports more than 92,000 students in 76 school districts, making it the second largest provider of broadband to educational systems in the state of Missouri.
As an e-rate approved vendor, Bluebird helps school districts obtain eligible Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) funding. USAC is a non-profit corporation created to manage the Universal Service Fund, which helps U.S. schools and libraries obtain affordable telecommunications and internet access, among other programs.
“We are pleased with the quality of service we receive from Bluebird, from the speed of our service to how our network is reliable now because of Bluebird’s reliability, said Ritchie Kracht, Superintendent of Clark County R-1 school district, in a prepared statement.
Bluebird also provides high-speed fiber optic services to healthcare facilities, mobile switching towers and other enterprise and carrier customers in addition to educational institutions across the Midwest. Bluebird recently installed its first customer-facing 100G circuits, and with plans to move toward a 400G network in the future. Bluebird’s fiber optic infrastructure also facilitates connectivity with the Bluebird Underground Data Center, an underground collocation space located in Springfield, Mo.
“Bluebird Network is committed to providing the same level of service to our customers, regardless of location,” said Michael Morey, Bluebird president and CEO, in a prepared statement. “High-speed connectivity has become a necessity within the modern education system and all students deserve equal access to the educational opportunities provided by digital learning.”
Bluebird Network was formed by the combining of Bluebird Media, Missouri Network Alliance, and Illinois Network Alliance. The network currently operates a 6,500 route mile fiber network with 135 points of presence. Bluebird Network is owned by several independent telecom operators from Missouri and Illinois, among other owners.
