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A Specialized Satellite Television Installation Has Been Completed at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

GREEN BAY, Wis.—Local DISH® Regional Service Provider WeConnectTM is using its experience connecting satellite television in homes and businesses to increase connectivity within major public institutions. The company recently installed a central distributing server and wiring to deliver satellite television throughout the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Campus in Green Bay. This large-scale project brought unique challenges that WeConnect solved.

Preserving a 360-Degree View at NWTC

NWTC was in the process of converting from analog to digital cable television. The change was creating difficulties in television reception across campus. Switching to satellite television through WeConnect eliminated the need to convert. A distributing server is now a central point delivering satellite reception to all buildings and televisions on campus. It is commercial-grade technology, the same as used in television news centers.

“We have several goals for television on campus, all tied to our drive for student success,” said Karl Reischl, Director of IT Services at NWTC. “We want to build a sense of welcome and community that will keep students coming back until they graduate. We want students to be able to relax between and after class to support work/life balance and wellness. And we want our students to be well-informed about their democracy, their community and their economy so they are prepared to succeed after graduation. Having television is part of that.”

Challenges of the project included strategic placement of the satellite equipment on the rooftops.

“NWTC is a well-designed school architecturally, with __ buildings in a circle, courtyards in the center, and a road that encircles all of it,” said Justin Geitner, manager of commercial markets at WeConnect.

“NWTC wanted to be sure to preserve the look of the buildings from a 360-degree view by not having visible satellites. So we found ways to position them between air conditioning units or miniature walls.”

Additionally, more than 3,200 feet of cabling needed to be fed through campus buildings three to four stories tall, with thick concrete walls. All of these were built at different times.

“We needed a firm understanding of where other cabling, fiber or piping existed,” said Geitner. “We collaborated with NWTC’s maintenance staff to complete a comprehensive site survey, examine blueprints and find the access we needed.”

Armed with that information, the installation took just four days and less time than usual for the college’s maintenance staff to oversee. With the project complete, NWTC is now benefiting from lower television costs overall, and is embarking on a new project with WeConnect for its Welcome Center.

Further Growth Expected for WeConnect

WeConnect has additional large-scale and institutional projects expected in the coming year. This means additional opportunity for hiring and jobs locally.

“These projects illustrate that whatever our partners’ needs are for next-generation technology, we can implement,” said Brad Libby, CEO of WeConnect. “We’re as nimble as the next great innovation requires, and our goal is to connect he world to homes and businesses in ways some never dreamed of.”