Corning and Lightwave Open Nominations for Fifth Annual FTTXcellence Award

The award will be presented on Sept. 23 at the 2008 FTTH Conference in Nashville, Tenn.



"The FTTXcellence Award has received outstanding nominations in the past four years, and each year we have recognized a deserving individual for their contributions to the FTTx market," said Clark Kinlin, president and CEO of Corning Cable Systems. "As the leader in passive solutions for FTTx, it is fitting that Corning does its part to recognize those who lead to its success."



"FTTx technology promises to provide a wealth of new, high-speed services to homes and businesses across North America," added Stephen Hardy, editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave, the leading source of information on fiber-optic technology, applications and business trends worldwide for more than 20 years. "We at Lightwave are pleased to partner with Corning to recognize those who have taken the lead in bringing these benefits to consumers and other end-users."



To be eligible to win the award, candidates must be nominated by a peer. Nominees may include individuals at carriers and system operators, home developers, utilities, municipalities or other organizations that have launched a fiber-to-the-x (FTTx) project; individuals at vendors or research organizations whose work has benefited FTTx technology development; politicians or other policymakers who have made a significant positive impact in the regulatory or legal arena; and other deserving individuals.



Nominations are accepted online at www.lightwaveonline.com and must be received by Aug. 15, 2008. A panel of judges from Corning and Lightwave will select the winner from the submitted nominations. In addition to an awards ceremony at the FTTH Conference, the winner will be honored with a donation in his or her name to One Economy Corporation, a national non-profit organization created to maximize the potential of technology to help low-income people build assets and raise their standard of living. The winner will also receive an award of Steuben glass, crafted by the world-renowned glass artists of the Steuben Glass studios in Corning, N.Y., and will be profiled in an issue of Lightwave magazine.



Ron Troyer, outside plant and central office plant manager of Union Telephone in Farmington, N.H., was the recipient of the 2007 FTTXellence Award. Troyer realized the benefits of an FTTH architecture for both the community residents and his company, and Union Telephone became the first independent telephone company in New Hampshire to deploy an FTTH solution and one of the first in the Northeastern United States.



Glen Lang, CEO of Connexion Technologies, received the 2006 FTTXcellence Award. As CEO of one of the nation's leading providers of FTTH technology, Lang led Connexion's effort to provide advanced services to residents through FTTH, which has resulted in widespread developer acceptance, increased industry attention and vendor commitments.



James Hettrick with the City of Loma Linda, Calif. received the 2005 award. As director of information systems for the city, Hettrick led Loma Linda to become the first city in America to pass an ordinance requiring fiber-to-the-home and structured-wiring infrastructure in all new home and business developments.



George Bell of Verizon was the winner of the 2004 FTTXcellence Award. In his nomination form, Bell was praised for his leadership and spirit to deploy innovative solutions that make FTTx a reality.



For more information on the FTTXcellence Award or Corning's portfolio of FTTx products, visit Corning's Web site at www.corning.com/broadband.



About Corning Incorporated

Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 150 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.