Q&A: Maria Farnon, Level 3 VP

• By theWHIR.com , August 27, 2008

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Q&A: Maria Farnon, Level 3 VPAn email conversation with Maria Farnon, VP of product delivery for Level 3's content markets group, on the company's role as the "official live video and content delivery services provider," for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

By Anastasia Tubanos, theWHIR.com

August 27, 2008 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Earlier this week, telecommunications provider Level 3 (level3.com) announced it had finalized the preparations for the 2008 Democratic National Convention (demconvention.com) being held this week from August 25 to 28 in Denver.

According to the company's website, Level 3 will be delivering video feeds to TV networks for "traditional" broadcast, as well as supporting the distribution of live online video streaming and on-demand video content through its content delivery network.

Level 3 also made a specific mention in its announcement of the fact that its video feeds would include the first-ever live high-definition streaming of the convention.

Considering this event has been touted as the most "connected" Democratic convention as well as the "greenest" we asked Level about the perceived online audience for material from the convention as well as some specifics about the convention's environmentally-friendly objectives.

In each case, Farnon deferred to the Democratic National Convention Committee, presumably because they felt that organization would be better suited to answering these questions.

Unfortunately, that's not exactly how the "email Q&A" feature works. But fortunately, there's some interesting insight in a somewhat truncated exchange with Farnon.

With one day left in the event, Farnon told the WHIR via email about the process involved in setting up this type of infrastructure, as well Level 3's appreciation for helping more people to engage in the political process than ever before.

The "Level 3 DNCC Animated Schematic" you have on your website does a great job at outlining the general route the video takes from the initial capturing of the footage at the convention to the eventual distribution to TV networks and the Internet. Can you elaborate a bit on what goes into implementing this type of setup?

Maria Farnon: Level 3 first engaged with the Democratic National Convention Committee about a year ago to begin preparations for the current event. These preparations included identifying the full scope of the services to be delivered by Level 3 to support the technology and communications goals of the Convention. In February 2008, the DNCC announced Level 3 as the official live video and content delivery services provider for the convention. Since that time, Level 3 has been actively working on plans to install new network fiber and services infrastructure in support of the event at the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High. A team of approximately 40 Level 3 employees has been engaged in this effort, as well as a team from Move Networks, a partner of Level 3 to deliver live streaming for the convention.

Leading up to the event, both Level 3 and the DNCC completed end-to-end testing of our online services (from an actual camera video feed, over the transport network, to delivery via the online player), to ensure a high-performing solution throughout the four-day event.

In your announcement, you mention that this is the first-ever live HD streaming of the convention. Can you elaborate a bit on the significance of this?

MF: Internet-based communications are affecting the way information is shared in all aspects of our daily lives - politics is no different. Political campaigns and media coverage of election events has changed dramatically over the past four years since the political conventions in Boston and New York City. Since that time, the standards for anytime, anywhere access and for a high-quality video experience have grown dramatically. The availability of live online streaming and video on-demand at DemConvention.com is a testament to the changes in the way people now consume information, from politics to entertainment to sports.

Does the partnership you have with the 2008 Democratic National Convention go beyond a customer relationship in any way? Is it at all indicative of the company's political leaning?

MF: As a Colorado-based company, Level 3 is supporting the 2008 Democratic National Convention as an important opportunity to support the local community. In accordance with US law, Level 3 remains unaffiliated with any political party or ideology.

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