Telco Systems' EdgeGate CPE 232 and 482 IP media gateways, which provide broadband Internet access, VoIP, and IPTV to the consumer's home over fiber, were selected for use in fiber-to-the-home projects funded by the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) following review by the RUS Technical Committee for telecommunications products.

Telco Systems' entire EdgeGate product family can be used by rural communities that are deploying community broadband networks utilizing RUS loans and grants. Telco Systems' EdgeGate 282 was approved by RUS back in 2004. The EdgeGate family of IP media gateways enables service providers to offer FTTH or FTTB (Fiber-To-The-Business) for converged VoIP Internet voice service, video, data and broadband Internet access over a single fiber pair to the end user at their home or office.

The EdgeGate CPE gateways provide the optical-to-electrical conversion that makes FTTH possible and enables end-users to connect standard phones, faxes, PCs, video monitors and televisions to an optical fiber IP Ethernet network. The device is an Ethernet-based switch with up to 4 analog voice lines and up to 8 high-speed Ethernet ports for video, data and broadband Internet access. It supports VoIP signaling protocols including SIP and MGCP, and IGMP snooping for video transmission. An optical uplink supports either a fast or Gigabit Ethernet transceiver over traditional fiber pair or a single fiber, which cuts service delivery costs in half.

The device can be deployed indoors (in a residence, business or Multi Dwelling Unit) or outdoors as an environmentally controlled and secure cabinet that is equipped to support battery backup and provide lifeline telephony.

USDA Rural Development Telecommunications program offers many programs for financing rural America's telecommunications infrastructure. USDA Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life in rural communities. As a venture capital entity, Rural Development has invested over $76 billion since the beginning of the Bush Administration to provide equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure.

The grants are for rural, economically-challenged communities to provide broadband transmission services to rural schools, libraries, education centers, health care providers, law enforcement agencies, public safety organizations as well as residents and businesses.

Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.