MIT Joins Open Student Television Network

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) July 27, 2005 -- CAMBRIDGE, MA - July 26, 2005 - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced that it has joined the OPEN Student Television Network (OSTN). By joining OSTN, students, staff and faculty at MIT will be able to securely access student television shows developed by peer institutions such as University of Southern California, Syracuse University, Ohio State University, Indiana University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and broadcast television programming from content providers such as NBC Universal, FOX and Starz! Encore on their laptops and PCs.

The Open Student Television Network (OSTN) is a hosted IP Television service that offers student-produced broadcast programming over Abilene - Internet2's nationwide high-speed backbone network which provides end-users speeds 100-1000 times faster than the average household broadband connection to laptops and desktop PCs. The network reaches over three million users, 206 research and educational institutions, and 34 state education networks.

The Open Student Television Network Channel is a national initiative of student television stations working together to build a digital channel of student television shows. On the OSTN Channel, students are not only creating content but they are also making the important programming decisions that appeal to their peer viewing audience. The OSTN Channel provides opportunities for students through resources, community, exposure and experience. The OSTN Channel gives voice to students by connecting schools' TV stations through video content sharing and digital delivery of student-produced video content to the PC and TV.

"The CampusEAI Consortium's OPEN Student Television Network represents an exciting and unique opportunity for MIT to provide original programming over advanced networks to its community," Said Vijay Kumar, Assistant Provost and Director of Academic Computing, Information Services & Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"One of Internet2's primary missions is to provide a platform for collaboration and innovation among the research and education community", said Jill Arnold, director of member and partner relations for Internet2.
"The OPEN Student Television Network is an example of a leading initiative that enables this kind of idea sharing and content distribution across higher education - providing students and faculty greater access to multimedia learning materials and information."


For more information on the Open Student Television Network send an e-mail to information@ostn.tv. To apply for membership in the Open Student Television Network, visit http://www.ostn.tv/join.shtm.



###


INFORMATION:
Randy Winchester

Team Leader, MIT Cable Television
Massachusetts Institutes of Technology
(617) 253-7431; Randy@MIT.edu

Rishu Sharma
Director of Communications
The CampusEAI Consortium
(216)791-6469; rishu_sharma@campuseai.org

Shane Walker
Vice President
OPEN student Television Network
(216)470-6673;
shane_walker@ostn.tv