A "hyper speed" computer network fast enough to transmit "309 Bibles a second" could be available to South Dakota research institutions by the end of next year, Gov. Mike Rounds said.

The state's universities and research institutions, such as the Sanford Underground Laboratory at the Homestake gold mine in Lead, could use the network to transmit "massive amounts of data," Rounds said in a news conference Monday in Pierre.

SDN Communications of Sioux Falls would build the High Speed Research, Education and Economic Development Network, or "High Speed REED," if the Legislature approves the deal, Rounds said.

SDN, which is owned by independent telephone companies in South Dakota, also would offer $10 million in "incentives to the state," as part of the deal.

The system, a $30 million investment over 20 years, will not be for the general public. High Speed REED would connect 10 sites in South Dakota with the national high-speed Internet system that universities and national laboratories already use.

The state's six universities would get connections. So would the Sanford Lab in Lead and the EROS Data Center and the state's new Graduate Education and Research Center in Sioux Falls.

State government in Pierre also would have a connection to High Speed REED.

Building the system will cost $11.8 million. That includes burying high-speed fiber-optic cables across the state, east to west and north to south, and installing sophisticated electronics to run the system.

However, the Great Plains Educational Foundation already has agreed to contribute $8 million, so the state's cost would be about $3.8 million.

The system would cost $2.3 million a year to operate, Rounds said, but some of that comes from funds already budgeted. The state would spend an additional $887,000 a year.

High Speed REED would help attract all kinds of research to South Dakota, Rounds said, including medical research and meteorological research. The high-speed system also could help persuade the National Science Foundation to convert the Sanford Lab into a national Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. Data from a DUSEL could be sent to scientists all over the world at the highest speeds available.

The network could also be available to private companies, Rounds said, and it could be expanded.

The sheer speed of High Speed REED is difficult to imagine. A fast home-broadband connection, for example, might deliver 5 megabytes per second. The new system would deliver 10,000 Mbps next year, with the capability of delivering up to 50,000 Mbps.

Harvey Jewett, president of the South Dakota Board of Regents, said, "The amount of data just overwhelms the traditional broadband system."

South Dakota's network would be even faster than the hyper-speed networks the system would connect to at Omaha, Neb.; Fargo, N.D.; and Cheyenne, Wyo.

"We think we're moving in the right direction," Rounds told reporters.

SDN CEO Mark Shlanta said the three out-of-state connections will make the system more reliable.

Rounds predicted, "This will be as important to South Dakota commerce as the interstate-highway system was four decades ago."

Contact Bill Harlan at 394-8424 or bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com

Filed: Monday, December 03, 2007

Inches: 4

Governor to outline budget

Gov. Mike Rounds will introduce a budget for fiscal year 2009 today that contains no new taxes.

Some of the projected numbers for the state's general fund:

* Total spending: $1.2076 billion.

* Total revenues: $1.2030 billion.

* Total reserve spending to balance the budget: $4.6 million.