MCNC Gets Full Steam Award

(Durham, N.C.) MCNC was recognized with a Full Steam Award by WRAL Tech Wire recently for being a company achieving success today where other companies have previously tried and failed. Playing off the train theme, every award winner received an engineer’s hat. MCNC received an award entitled, Riding The Third Rail.  In 2010, MCNC received $104 million in federal taxpayer dollars to bring broadband Internet access to businesses and schools in North Carolina. The money came from Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grants which were funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or “stimulus” funds. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the long-term effects of the stimulus will result in a long-term 0.2 percent reduction in the GDP, an increase in budget deficits by about $825 billion through 2019, and “no long-term effects on unemployment.”


“In accepting the award I thought of 75 hard-working people at MCNC who made this happen,” said MCNC President and CEO Joe Freddoso, who also was nominated individually in the Engineer Category and the Yardmaster Category. “We are very proud of the entrepreneurial spirit that defines MCNC. And, we are proud to be building an infrastructure that will scale to help North Carolina meet its broadband needs of the future.”

MCNC Vice President for Network Initiatives and NCREN’s Chief Architect Tommy Jacobson also was a finalist nominated in the Fireman Category, and MCNC Chief Financial Officer Pat Moody was a finalist in the Brakeman Category.

Among many other Triangle tech leaders, also at the ceremony were Tom Miller, Jane Smith Patterson, and Fred Hutchinson, all of whom contributed greatly to MCNC’s achievements. “MCNC’s award also honors their contributions as well as many others who have contributed to MCNC over the years,” added Freddoso.