community networking -- for profit...

[Douglas Schuler]

Posted by Richard Lowenberg to commnet...

FYI...


Date: 06 Aug 1996 09:04:57 GMT
From: rl at infozone.telluride.co.us (Richard Lowenberg)
To: communet at elk.uvm.edu
Subject: Fwd: FYI (Surfing today...)

BW0030  AUG 06,1996       4:56  PACIFIC      07:56  EASTERN


( BW)(BTG)(BTGI) BTG Launches Community Networks Unit; Cablevision 
of Loudoun Acquires Equity Interest 

   Business Editors & Computer Writers

   VIENNA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 1996--BTG, Inc. (Nasdaq: 
BTGI) has launched a new business unit, Community Networks, 
Incorporated (CNI).  
   The newly formed company will form business relationships with 
established cable operators and others to provide local communities 
with Internet access, specialized intranets, and electronic commerce.
   BTG said the first community to be served by CNI is Loudoun 
County, Virginia, a community of 43,000 households (119,000 
residents) located near Washington, D.C.  Cablevision of Loudoun, a 
subsidiary of Benchmark Communications, provides cable service in the
county.  
   Under the terms of a letter of intent, Cablevision will make an 
equity investment in shares of CNI.  Over the next two years, 
Cablevision also will have the option to purchase up to a maximum of 
20% of CNI's stock.  
   CNI anticipates that service will be available to Cablevision 
subscribers in the first half of 1997.  Among the new services CNI 
plans to offer are: 

   High-speed, affordable access to the Internet, including the 
World Wide Web, E-mail, newsgroups, online games, and access to 
online service providers.  
   Control tools that will help parents monitor e-mail and restrict 
access to inappropriate material on the Internet.  
   Customized community and individual information will be offered 
through community-specific "intranets" with information about local 
government, businesses, schools, and community organizations and 
activities.  For individual subscribers, CNI will develop a 
personalized home page customized for their own personal interests.  

   Max R. Kipfer, vice president and general manager, Cablevision 
of Loudoun, said: "This is a logical extension of our business and 
puts us one step closer to providing our Loudoun County customers 
with the ultimate package of entertainment and information services.
Our high speed cable network will offer Internet access that is 
affordable and easy to use."  
   Leland Phipps, senior vice president, BTG Integration and Network
Systems, said, "The goal of Community Networks is to give people 
relevant information they need for their daily lives about non-profit
organizations, school activities, community events, and local 
businesses.  By partnering with the cable companies that are already 
an integral part of the community, we can make every community an 
Electronic Village."  
   Phipps said BTG developed its community networking products and 
services from its extensive experience in network design and 
information security.  The company designs and develops World Wide 
Web sites on the Internet as well as internal networks or "intranets"
for corporations and government agencies.  "Until now, the Internet 
has not been relevant to most people.  It is a vast collection of 
unorganized data, making it difficult for the average user to find 
specific information.  In addition, access to the graphics-rich World
Wide Web is very slow on home computers connected through telephone 
lines.  CNI solves those problems," Phipps said.  
   CNI offers very high speed access via cable modems, which are 
hundreds of times faster than the telephone modems used for home 
computing.  For consumers, this means faster downloading of the 
multimedia graphic images that make the Internet colorful and 
exciting.  CNI also gives each subscriber a personalized view of the 
Internet, providing highly customized, relevant information based on 
a personal profile of the subscriber.  Each community may have its 
own intranet, bringing online groups with common interests such as 
homeowner associations, civic organizations, school classes, and 
companies doing business in the area.  
   Cablevision of Loudoun is the only franchised cable operator in 
Loudoun County and serves approximately 29,000 customers county-wide.
   BTG provides information technology services and products to 
government and commercial clients.  The company specializes in 
systems engineering, integration and network systems, 
Internet/intranet access and services, custom computer manufacturing,
and the value-added reselling of hardware, software and services.  
The company has more than 900 employees and offices in ten states an 
in Europe.  Additional information on BTG is available on the 
Internet at http://www.btg.com/, by e-mail at info btg.com, or by 
calling 703/556-6518.  Investors contact: John Graham, 703/761-6675,
or by e-mail: investor btg.com.  Editors contact: Theda Parrish, 
703/761-6581 (office), 703/573-8135 (home), or by e-mail: 
tparrish btg.com.  

   --30--mg/sf.   lmm/sf

   CONTACT: BTG, Inc.
             John Graham, 703/761-6675 (Investors)
             E-Mail:  investor btg.com
             Theda Parrish, 703/761-6581 (Editorial)
             E-Mail:  tparrish btg.com 

-- 


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