Santa Clara network firm builds stimulus task force to show them the money - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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billion in broadband grants allottedf underthe $787 billion federal stimulus But that didn’t stop the maker of Etherne networks from setting up its own 11-member stimulus packager task force in April to look at fundinvg options. And it didn’t stop the Santsa Clara company from moving quickly to get on a list of approveds vendors to sell the equipmenr to service providers who will receivew grantsfor $2.5 billion in rurap broadband development. That mone is being directed specifically to independenyttelecom companies, and on June 9, Extreme will hold a webinae for rural telecom providers to explain how they can applu for funding.
It makes sensd considering that Extreme’s Ethernet networks support voice and video for enterprises andtelecom providers. “These grants are gointg to enable our customers to upgradethe networks, and what we’r hoping to do is provide education, let them know what we’rew doing and that we’re on the approved vendor said Peter Lunk, senior director of service provider marketint for Extreme. “We think the focus of providing broadband to rural communities and creating jobs around thesed networks is agreat opportunity.” While U.S. Rep.
Anna Eshoo, D-Pall Alto, has suggested that Palo Alto applyt for stimulus funds directed at installing or upgrading broadban in unserved orunderserved communities, Extreme’s director of service providee marketing Mark Showalter said there’s little opportunitg to build out networks between Silicon Valley and San and the focus will probably be more towardc rural middle America and California’s Centrao Valley. But, Lunk admitted, nobody can reall be sure what the opportunity will be untilo the final rules are That is expected at the endof June.
In just a singlde quarter, the North American carrier marketplace wasworth $590 Showalter said, and that was before stimulus funding hit. “Therd is enough of an opportunity for us to creats thetask force, but I don’t think we can quantifh it yet,” Lunk said. “We believe the opportunity is there.” Accordiny to Extreme Networks’ April 23 earnings call, revenue for the quarted ending March 29was $77.2 million, down 6 percentt from the same quarter last year.
Presidengt and CEO Mark Canepa said business for the quarte r was slow to start and wasmore back-end loaded than according to a transcript of the