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Facts about the BEV
The BEV is one of the oldest Internet-based community networks in the country and has one of the largest proportions of online citizens (more than 87%). There are several other distinguishing features:
- It is a public-private partnership with the town and Virginia Tech; the BEV is part of Tech's Information Systems.
- Local residents are actively engaged in a wide variety of network activities, such as contributing to the BEV Web site, using email to keep in touch with friends and family, discussing local issues online, and publishing information about themselves, their work, and their personal interests.
- The project includes citizens, government, and businesses. The BEV is committed to community-wide, ubiquitous and inexpensive access for all members of the community. Through strong cooperative efforts with the public schools and the public library, all school children and citizens who desire it have free, direct access to the Internet, including personal electronic mail accounts.
- Citizens may choose several connection methods, including dial-up access through several local Internet Service Providers; ISDN; Ethernet provided by the BEV, Bell Atlantic, and other ISPs; or access through public Internet workstations at libraries and schools.
- The BEV is part of Net.Work.Virginia, a statewide ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) broadband network. The BEV provides backbone DNS services for the entire network.
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