The Quilt, a national coalition of advanced regional networks for research and education across the country, today released a request for proposals (RFP) for the 2016 Commodity Internet Services (CIS) program. This will mark The Quilt’s 8th RFP effort for the CIS.

One of the goals of The Quilt is to provide advanced network services at a lower cost. Toward this goal, the coalition of Quilt members and Authorized Quilt Buyers purchase Commodity Internet Services (CIS) through several approved CIS providers who participate in the program.

The Quilt leverages the collective purchasing power of its participants to purchase advanced network services at a lower cost.  The Quilt then works to screen and qualify CIS vendors who meet the community’s requirements through a Quilt RFP process and then negotiate favorable pricing with Quilt-approved CIS vendors.

The Quilt Community collectively purchases 447 Gbps of committed commodity bandwidth from Quilt-approved providers established through the CIS.

Through the RFP process, our goal is to identify those providers who, through their IP transit Internet service offerings, are willing and able to be partners in the delivery and development of our research and education networks through the United States. We will look to our approved commodity Internet services providers for pricing discounts appropriate to our levels of bandwidth consumption. We seek provider partners who are able to provide the best value, be at the forefront of technology, and are willing to work closely with Quilt members to develop and expand technology beyond that of a standard provider-customer relationship.

To learn more, visit The Quilt’s 2016 Community Internet Services RFP Process Overview and Schedule. For any additional questions, please contact Jen Leasure at jen@thequilt.net.

PA’s Growing Research and Education Network Expands Team to Meet Member Needs

Harrisburg, PA (Dec. 22) — The Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER) announced Jennifer Oxenford joined the staff of KINBER as director of community engagement and Ben Miller serves as network administrator.

“In their roles as consultants, Jennifer and Ben have contributed directly to services and programs that enrich Pennsylvania’s research and education community,” said Gwendolyn L. Huntoon, KINBER’s president & CEO. “Their work will help ensure that KINBER is able to provide greater value to our members and foster innovation and collaboration within the state.”

As a consultant, Oxenford began work with KINBER in August 2014 to establish and pilot the Community Services initiative. She identified and developed the programs KINBER should be offering as well as the business model for offering the services. As director of community engagement, Oxenford will build upon her prior work with KINBER, developing programming and partnerships to support KINBER’s needs and facilitating new opportunities for collaboration and engagement among the KINBER community.

Prior to joining KINBER, Oxenford was manager of Member Relations and Communications for MAGPI where she was responsible for engaging members in meaningful collaborations that utilize advanced networking. Jennifer also managed MAGPI’s online, print and social media communications. Previously, she was the associate director of MAGPI. Oxenford is a member of the Internet2 K20 Advisory Board and the US UCAN Advisory Council. She was previously Co-Chair of the Internet2 Teaching & Learning Special Interest Group and served on the Internet2 Commons Management Team. She also served on the management teams for both Megaconference Sr. and Jr. and sits on the board of the Pennsylvania Council for International Education (PaCIE). Oxenford was the recipient of several awards including the IDEA Award, Models of Excellence Award and received honorable mention for the Internet2 Richard Rose Award. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University.

After an internship with KINBER this year, Miller is joining the team as a network administrator. During his internship, he performed the initial installation and configuration work on the Lock Haven University – Clearfield Campus and Fannett-Metal School District POPs (points-of-presence) and upgraded Franklin and Marshall College’s PennREN connection to 10Gbps. He also assisted with the implementation of the KINBER Lab test environment and installed cache servers.

In his new role, Miller will install and configure network equipment as well as perform software and code upgrades. He will also continue to work with customers in the turn-up of new services and the cut-over to new circuits and provide general technology support for the KINBER office. Miller earned his bachelor’s of science in Information Sciences and Technology with an integration and application option from The Pennsylvania State University. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Penn State.

The Quilt will be returning to the La Jolla Shores Hotel and La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in California on Feb. 9-11, 2016 for its Winter Member meeting.

Two hotel choices will be offered – The La Jolla Shores Hotel and The La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. These properties are adjoining properties and are a short walk between one another. The Main Quilt Member Program will be held in the La Sala room at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.
Nearly 100 representatives from our Quilt member organizations are planning to attend this winter. And, in addition to some California sunshine, we also have a high-energy agenda planned to warm you up during chilly February days.

The meeting will kick-off on Tuesday, Feb. 9 with various working group meetings and The Quilt In-Person Board Meeting at the La Jolla Shores Hotel. This year, the R&E Networking CEO Roundtable is for participants of R&E Networking Round Table only and will be closed. The meeting will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The Main Quilt Member Program will begin the following day at 8:30 a.m. and run through noon on Thursday. Our Social Hour and Member Reception will be open to guests this year so please be sure to sign up and let us know the total number in your party.

View the current Meeting Schedule. Be sure to keep checking back often for a full agenda in the coming weeks.

Special for this meeting is a tour and introduction to Calit2 hosted by Calit2 and CENIC.

Quilt members and other conference participants will have an opportunity to hear from Calit2 leaders, including Calit2 Founder and Director Larry Smarr, about goals of inventing a collaborative research environment for the digital future as well as tour and experience some of the new environments that support this research. Professor Smarr and CENIC CEO Louis Fox will discuss the groundbreaking potential of the Pacific Research Platform – a new National Science Foundation grant that uses fiber-optic networks to connect researchers at universities throughout the West Coast, enabling them to share “big data” at an unprecedented speed. This discussion will underscore opportunities for Quilt members, and the research institutions that comprise their communities, to participate. The event also will conclude with a reception hosted by CENIC.

Please be sure to register by Jan. 23. Online registration is available and space is limited. To register and be billed by invoice instead of paying by credit card, please contact Jennifer Griffin, Program Coordinator at griffin@thequilt.net.

You can follow the conversation now and throughout the meeting using #WMM16 or @TweettheQuilt.

We look forward to seeing you in February!