FiberFête

FiberFête, a conference in Lafayette celebrating "our connected future," continues today. The press release is below for more information, but be sure to check out the agenda and tune into the FiberFête free Live Stream. This is a terrific collection of folks dedicated to building next generation networks - and many people who have built impressive publicly owned networks are here. Additionally, we will be learning a lot about how Lafayette plans to use their network. Press Release:

FiberFête Conference Launches Tuesday

Technology and Community Leaders to Dream up Possibilities for Our Most Wired Cities LAFAYETTE, La. (Apr. 19) – FiberFête, a conference featuring Internet innovators from around the world, will be held April 20-22 at Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) in Lafayette. FiberFête celebrates Lafayette's deployment of a community-owned fiber network and explores the potential of fiber-powered communities. FiberFête brings global technology entrepreneurs and activists together with local community leaders to explore how fiber networks can help other cities like Lafayette enhance economic development, community participation and quality of life. “The people of Lafayette have led the country in equipping their community with fiber,” says FiberFête co-producer Geoff Daily. “Now they're committed to driving the conversation around what innovative things fiber can enable them to do.” Welcoming FiberFête guests Tuesday will be Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret and Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel. “We have a story to tell, to share with America and the world,” says Durel. “The future of fiber optic networking isn’t a dream. For us, it’s a reality, it’s here, it’s working, and it’s an example of what is not only possible, but of what will be the future in America.” FiberFête speakers include representatives from Google, Cisco, Harvard University and Case Western Reserve University, as well as municipal officials from Seattle and San Francisco. A full agenda is available online at www.FiberFete.com. While an invitation-only event, FiberFête is also open to the world live via the Internet. Viewers may access the webcast online at www.LiveStream.com/FiberFete. Coverage will run from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. CST Tuesday, April 20 and from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 21. FiberFête is distinct from other international broadband conferences in that it is sponsored by the community in support of its own network infrastructure. FiberFête is funded wholly by a diverse coalition of local public and private partners. FiberFête is sponsored by: Louisiana Economic Development LUS Fiber IberiaBank Lafayette Consolidated Government Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates Stuller, Inc. Allen & Gooch Stone Energy Abacus Data Exchange Prejean’s Restaurant Pixus Digital Printing Fugro Chance The Schumacher Group McDonald’s of Acadiana Lafayette General Medical Center iConvergence R.W. Beck Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce The Acadian Companies Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission (LCVC) Whitney Bank Bizzuka, Inc. Travis Technology Center

About FiberFête

FiberFête 2010 is an inaugural event bringing technology industry luminaries to discuss the development potential of fiber-powered communities such as Lafayette, La., regarding all facets of our communities. FiberFête will serve as a catalyst for establishing the models needed to define how network-optimized communities behave, and crafting plans for how to get there. FiberFête will also be an inspiration to community leaders and application developers about the benefits of our fiber-powered future. About David Isenberg, FiberFête co-producer David S. Isenberg writes about technology at www.Isen.com/blog. He served as Senior Advisor to the Federal Communications Commission for its National Broadband Project in 2009 and 2010. Isenberg wrote an essay in 1997 titled, “The Rise of the Stupid Network: Why the Intelligent Network was a Good Idea Once but isn’t Anymore.” In it, Isenberg discussed technological bases of the existing telecom business model and how the communications business would be changed by new technologies. A year later, he founded Isen.com, Inc., to help telecommunications companies understand the business implications of the newly emerging communications infrastructure. In his career at AT&T (1985-1998), Isenberg was Distinguished Member of Technical Staff with Bell Laboratories and AT&T Labs Research. He earned a Ph. D. in Biology (1977) from the California Institute of Technology. About Geoff Daily, FiberFête co-producer Geoff Daily writes the blog App-Rising.com, which covers the intersection of broadband networks, applications and policy. As one of the leading advocates of fiber, Daily supports deployers, community, and app developers in their push forward to create the next generation of the fiber-powered Internet. In particular, Daily works with Lafayette, La., a vibrant community in the heart of Cajun Country, helping them achieve their goal of becoming a test bed for next-generation applications.