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Broadband Access
Cianbro Corp. scales up with Mid-Maine Communications
Installs underground optical network for high end applications
by Sean Buckley
When considering a service provider to connect up its new Eastern
manufacturing facility in Brewer, Maine, Cianbro Corp. had a number of
choices including FairPoint, Oxford Networks and large incumbent
Verizon.
Still, Cianbro found its existing supplier, Mid-Maine Communications which is building a high-end, fiber-based network for the Brewer facilities, could best respond to its ever-changing needs. Joe Kennedy, IT network and operations manager at Cianbro, talks with Editor in Chief Sean Buckley about why he selected Mid-Maine
Communications.
Telecommunications: Cianbro is a large, high-end construction corporation with offices throughout Maine and the East Coast. Although you’re a Mid-
Maine customer, what drove you to consider them for this particular
facility?
Kennedy: We treated the Brewer facility as an opportunity to see who
has what to offer. We looked at Mid-Maine, Verizon, Fairpoint and
Oxford. It came down to what we needed at the site because Cianbro is
extremely fast-paced. Sometimes we get awarded notices for bids [and]
have only a month or less to get services. Mid-Maine has worked with us
to get services in place with short-time leads.
Telecommunications: Your facility is located in a region where winters can be pretty
harsh, so environmental issues could be a concern. Have there been any
challenges with the ongoing deployment?
Kennedy: Unfortunately, the Fairpoint acquisition of former Verizon
assets threw a couple wrenches into our plans. We wanted fiber from
day one, and we’re still waiting for that. We have bonded T1s as a
temporary service. As far as the winter goes, you get used to dealing
with snow and frozen ground. But it [was] difficult because you like to
plan, and we did plan for the different fiber layouts well in advance, even
internally throughout the whole site. I learned it’s not so much about
having a good plan and sticking to it, but more about how well you can
adjust your plan on the fly.
Telecommunications: So is Mid-Maine flexible enough to meet your needs?
Kennedy: We have voice and data basically on copper. Right now, we
have 100 people on site, but a lot of those are construction workers
getting the facility prepped. They have been working with us on pricing,
billing and how we want it set up. Most of the time it’s an e-mail, and
they say we’ll get it done.
Telecommunications: You looked at a number of carriers in the bidding process.
What was an important attribute in considering a service provider?
Kennedy: Obviously, people don’t care how much you’re spending until
you start to have problems; then they want to know what you’re getting
for their money. What’s good about Mid-Maine’s customer relations is my
account rep comes over once a month to go over existing and future
service needs. In Maine we probably have about 25 to 30 sites, some of
which have just voice and some have both voice and data.
Telecommunications: You’re having Mid-Maine install a fiber-based network. Will the network support specific service drivers?
Kennedy: We’re in the middle of deploying an outdoor Cisco wireless
network that will allow work to be done on the pad. Picture this 500x500
concrete pad where all the work will be done. [Some] modules could be
30x400 feet and other weeks they might be 70x80 feet high. They’re all
different sizes and shapes, so we wanted the ability to have technology
on the pad where people could pull up drawings.
Telecommunications: You’re having Mid-Maine build an underground fiber network. Does this have specific benefits at the Brewer site?
Kennedy: There’s no aerial fiber at all on the site because of the
different lifts and types of cranes, so we wanted everything
underground. We had to plan our entire network infrastructure and we
did the conduit runs, our own vaults for fiber, electricity and for anything
we needed. I’m right in the middle of a security badging system … for
site access [plus] time and attendance for payroll. [We’ll] use it not only
at Brewer but also at other sites so we [have] the same ID badge at any
location.
Telecommunications: Cianbro has multiple sites within Maine. Do you plan on
interconnecting them with a common network?
Kennedy: Yes, that’s the plan. Obviously, we’re not going to do that on
day one. The plan is get Brewer up and running and work out the bugs
with the end users and understanding how it works. Then, we’ll start
rolling it out at different sites. More than likely it will start at the Brewer
site because that’s such a big facility and then we’ll move to Pittsfield,
ME because that’s where the next large amount of office people are with
door security and door access.
Telecommunications: Finally, what are your overall expectations from your service provider?
Kennedy: Everyone likes to give you their spiel on why they are the
best. You have to weed out what makes sense and what why this
company is better than that company. At the end of the day, I don’t
have any issues working with an Oxford Networks or Fairpoint. It all
came down to do really who has delivered for us in the past, who
realistically can handle time frames and schedules we set. Obviously, we
we’re very comfortable with how [Mid-Maine] treated us in the past [and
that] was a big step in giving them the business in Brewer.
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