Horizon Telcom and Corning Cable Systems Bring Broadband Benefits to Thirteen Counties in Southern Ohio

State-of-the-art fiber optic network will connect 120+ health care facilities  

HICKORY, N.C., September 17, 2009 -- Corning Cable Systems LLC, part of Corning Incorporated’s (NYSE:GLW) Telecommunications segment, and Horizon Telcom announced the selection of Corning Cable Systems as the supplier of optical fiber cable for the Southern Ohio Health Care Network (SOHCN).

The SOHCN project will connect 120+ health care facilities to a robust fiber optic network. The connectivity will allow area providers to participate in telemedicine initiatives, progressive community health record projects, and the regional health information organization. Likewise, use of the network will enhance sustainability of rural medical practices, develop deeper collaboration among health care providers, and enhance emergency communications.

Nearly 60 to 75 percent of SOHCN’s 34-county area has no access to broadband, making the already difficult task of rural economic development even more challenging. Small business innovation, telemedicine, and distance learning opportunities remain out of reach for a region that includes the state’s 10 poorest counties and all of Appalachia Ohio’s at-risk and distressed counties. This fiber optic technology from Corning Cable Systems and Horizon Telcom will serve communities in Adams, Athens, Fayette, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto, and Vinton counties.

Through its authorized distribution channel, KGP Logistics, Corning Cable Systems will supply its best-in-class Enhanced ALTOS® gel-free optical fiber cables. ALTOS gel-free cables are lightweight cables designed for duct and aerial installation, and provide industry-leading optical and mechanical performance over a wide temperature range. In addition to an innovative portfolio of cable and hardware solutions, Corning Cable Systems was the chosen manufacturer based on many value-added components such as design support, deployment expertise, OSP cost-modeling tools, and formalized training classes. Horizon Telcom’s fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments are already part of the
Corning Connected Community™ Program, which is designed to support developers as they market homes with FTTH technology to home buyers.

“Corning is humbled by the opportunity to be part of a broadband expansion with the potential to improve health care services for so many people,” said Bernhard Deutsch, director of marketing and market development for Corning Cable Systems. “We look forward to future collaborations with Horizon that connect communities of all kinds with state-of-the-art communication infrastructures.”

We're excited to have this opportunity to deploy Corning's top-quality fiber optic cable as the backbone of our new network,” said Bill McKell, Horizon CEO. “This fiber optic network will virtually 'future-proof' these communities, allowing the businesses and organizations as well as the health care providers in each community to access state-of-the-art broadband services.

"As a leading national distributor in the telecommunications market, KGP Logistics is proud to provide the necessary equipment and services to make this meaningful deployment possible," said Desi O'Grady, vice-president-strategic markets, KGP Logistics.  

About Corning Incorporated
Corning Incorporated is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 150 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.

About Horizon
With corporate offices in Chillicothe, Ohio, Horizon Telcom is a leading broadband provider of advanced data services in eight southern Ohio counties. Utilizing its nearly 475-mile network of fiber optic cable, Horizon delivers reliable phone, digital cable TV, high-speed Internet, home and business security and monitoring to its residential and business customers. Horizon’s entrepreneurial heritage and long-standing commitment to remarkable customer care ensures its devotion to connecting the people and businesses of southern Ohio to their worlds through the delivery of cutting-edge broadband technology and proven telecommunication systems.  

About SOHCN
The Southern Ohio Health Care Network is a consortium of health care providers serving a population of two million across 34 rural counties. It covers 17,000 square miles of southeast Ohio. The SOHCN was formed in 2007 through the collaboration of Adena Health System in Chillicothe, O’Bleness Health System in Athens and Holzer Health Systems in Gallipolis, as an effort to bring greater health care access to southern Ohio’s Appalachian counties.

The SOHCN service area includes the ten poorest counties in Ohio and all counties designated "distressed" and "at-risk" by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Federal health care designations blanketing the SOHCN region include Health Professional Shortage Areas, a dozen Critical Access Hospitals, and over 40 Federally Qualified Health Centers.  

About KGP
KGP Logistics is one of the country’s largest single-source providers of equipment and integrated solutions to the telecommunications industry, including a diverse customer base, a broad portfolio of strategic manufacturer relationships and a national logistics network.

KGP Logistics’ distribution network is comprised of eight Distribution Centers located strategically across the United States, complimented with two Cross Docks and ten Integration Centers dedicated to providing fiber and copper factory terminated cable, custom assemblies, Assemble, Wire and Test (AWT) services, along with complete Engineer, Furnish and Install (EF&I) services. Recognized for its leadership in supply-chain management and value-added solutions, KGP is committed to providing its customers with products and services at the lowest total cost.