Lynn Univesity and Comcast Provide Masses of Presidential Debate Attendees with Vital Access to TV
Lynn Univesity and Comcast Provide Masses of Presidential Debate Attendees with Vital Access to TV
Thousands of Members of the Press, Government and Campaign Personnel Descended Upon Boca Raton for Final Debate; Comcast Kept Them Connected
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Comcast Corporation, one of the nation's leading providers of information and communications products and services, today announced that Lynn University selected Comcast Business Class for a specialty install of video services in support of the Lynn University-hosted Presidential debate. The special project served more than 3,000 members of the press from around the world and hordes of attending campaign staffers and government personnel with access to television news and entertainment via a comprehensive installation supporting more than 160 televisions in facilities and temporary structures, including trailers and tents set up for the debate.
Comcast Business Services delivered video to the "Spin Alley" press facility erected in the Lynn University gymnasium for the Presidential debate. (Photo: Business Wire)
Roughly one year in advance, Lynn University was tapped by the Commission on Presidential Debates as the venue for the important third and final Presidential debate which focused on foreign policy, a topic of significance to the University which as of spring 2012 had a multinational student body hailing from more than 80 countries and 44 states. University officials and the Commission on Presidential Debates spent the last twelve months preparing for the enormous challenge of accommodating the debate attendees - the President of the United States, Barack Obama, Republican Presidential nominee and former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, members of the Presidential Administration, Democratic and Republican campaign staff, security and thousands of members of the press from around the world.
"As the whole world turned its attention to the action at Lynn University Tuesday night, it was crucial that our guests also be connected to the outside world for access to news, analysis and commentary around the debate," said Chris Boniforti, Chief information Officer for Lynn University. "As Comcast is already providing video services on campus, it was natural that we would look to them for support of this important project. The complexity of this effort should not be underestimated, and Comcast Business Services exceeded our expectations with dedication, flexibility and precautions to ensure reliability that helped produce a moment of great pride for the University on Tuesday."
Comcast provided connections for more than 160 televisions across the permanent and temporary structures at the University, including the all-important "Spin Alley," where reporters interacted with campaign officials and analysts immediately following the debate. A massive phone bank for reporters was erected in the Lynn gymnasium and televisions dotted the rows of work stations every few feet. In order to ensure reliability of services, a direct fiber link to the University provided access to ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Fox News, CNN, CSPAN, ESPN and MSNBC, and Comcast duplicated each high definition channel for redundancy to ensure access reliability. Comcast also staffed the event with onsite technical staff and backup equipment should troubleshooting have been required.
"Comcast's philosophy that 'business can't wait' could scarcely be better illustrated than this moment in history as the next President of the United States was contemplated," said David Lynch, Comcast's Vice President of Business Services in Florida. "We were proud to be selected for this project by our customer Lynn University. This was a challenging project that demonstrated our nimbleness in meeting unique needs under tight deadlines. Our team distinguished itself for both the quality of our video product and our responsiveness."
About Lynn University
Lynn University, site of the final 2012 presidential debate, is an independent, co-ed, residential university offering an innovative undergraduate and graduate curriculum built on individualized attention and an international focus. Founded in 1962, Lynn is an emerging higher education institution preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The university currently enrolls more than 2,000 students representing nearly all 50 U.S. states and more than 80 nations in five academic colleges and three specialty programs. Visit Lynn's debate website, debate2012.lynn.edu, for more information on Lynn debate-related news and events.
About Comcast Business Services
Comcast Business Services, a unit of Comcast Cable, provides advanced communication solutions to help organizations of all sizes meet their business objectives. Through a modern, advanced network that is backed by 24/7 technical support, Comcast delivers Business Class Internet, TV and Voice services for cost-effective, simplified communications management.
About Comcast Cable
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential and business customers. Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50455097〈=en
Comcast
David Grabert,561-227-4286
David_Grabert@cable.comcast.com
or
Spero Canton,305-770-5329
Spero_Canton@cable.comcast.com
or
Lynn University
Joshua Glanzer,561-237-7761
jglanzer@lynn.edu
KEYWORDS: United States North America Florida
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