Princeton, N.J. -- RCN Corp., the cable-television and
telephony provider based here, has reached a joint construction agreement with Level 3
Communications Inc., whereby the Omaha, Neb.-based company will share the cost of building
their respective fiber optic networks.
The deal follows a similar one reached last month between
the two companies, where RCN purchased cross-country network capacity from Level 3.
"These deals with Level 3 allow us to both make more
efficient use of our capital and to speed the pace of construction," said David
McCourt, RCN's chairman and CEO, in a prepared statement.
"Since our networks will overlap in major cities, it
makes perfect sense to share the costs of construction and other aspects of deployment in
these areas," McCourt added.
As a result of the agreement, RCN will deploy two new
conduits through the city of Cambridge, Mass., near Boston, and it will also conduct joint
trench work in the Upper East Side, Midtown and Downtown areas of Manhattan, comprising
about 35 miles of fiber optic lines.
