Zayo Bandwidth Granted $13.4M Federal Stimulus Award

LOUISVILLE, Colo., July 6 /PRNewswire/ — Zayo Bandwidth, a national provider of
fiber-based bandwidth infrastructure solutions for carrier, enterprise and
government customers, announced today that it has been awarded $13.4 million
from the federal Recovery Act Broadband Opportunity Program to enable high-speed
broadband services to government, businesses, community institutions and local
internet service providers in Minnesota. This is Zayo Bandwidth’s second major
broadband grant; its first federal award was $25 million to extend the
fiber-based network infrastructure to 80 rural communities in 21 higher
education institutions in Indiana.

Many areas in Anoka County, Minnesota can currently only access either T1 or DSL
service, potentially limiting business and educational opportunities, government
services and public safety responsiveness. The “Connect Anoka County Community
Broadband Network” project is a partnership between Zayo Bandwidth and Anoka
County who, collectively, will make a $5.7M match to the project. 145 local
anchor institutions and other local broadband service providers will be
connected with 286 miles of fiber with speeds between 100 Mbps and 10 Gbps. The
network will enable access to Ethernet service, Direct Internet Access, Private
Line, Wavelengths and Dark Fiber.

“Anoka County and Zayo Bandwidth are prepared and eager to commence this project
right away,” stated Chris Morley, CFO, Zayo Bandwidth. “Connecting the schools,
public safety and service entities presents a very long-lasting benefit to any
community’s well-being, and we are sincerely appreciative for the ability to
help.”

Jim Kordiak, Vice Chair, and Robyn West, Commissioner, Anoka County Board of
Commissioners provided the vision and leadership for the Connect Anoka County
project team. “Winning the award is amazing but it also makes sense that Anoka
County would qualify,” stated Commissioner West. “Developing a fiber backbone
opens the door for a global economy here in Anoka County. It’s also an open door
for local Internet service providers to compete to bring the fastest
connectivity possible to residents’ front doors.”

On July 2, the President and the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture
announced the awards of multiple stimulus initiatives, including the one funding
the Anoka County project. In his statement, the President underscored the
importance of continued broadband expansion throughout rural and suburban areas
in order to build stronger infrastructure and support job creation.

About Zayo Bandwidth

Zayo Bandwidth, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zayo Group, owns and operates fiber
optic networks totaling over 20,000 fiber route miles. Zayo Bandwidth
(www.zayo.com/bandwidth) offers services in 141 markets spanning 23 states. Zayo
Bandwidth’s mission is to provide responsive bandwidth infrastructure solutions
and a strong and growing network.

About Anoka County

Anoka County is part of the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area
and has a population of nearly 330-thousand people. We are home to several of
the world’s leading companies including Medtronic, Aveda, and ATK Security and
Sporting. The word ‘Anoka’ is derived from the native Dakota word anokatanhan
meaning “on both sides” referring to the Rum River which flows through the heart
of the county. Anoka County is rated AAA by Standard and Poor’s.

SOURCE Zayo Bandwidth