News
National Science Foundation Awards Network Foundation Technologies $500k Small Business Innovation Research Phase II Grant
NFT Revolutionizes the Streaming of Online Content
SHREVEPORT, LA – April 3, 2008 - Recognizing Network Foundation Technologies’ (NFT)™ patented technology for online broadcasting, the National Science Foundation has awarded the company a $500,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant. The receipt of this grant acknowledges NFT’s strong vision and commends the company for its distributed broadcast model, which is known for its unique ability to keep bandwidth costs low while providing and expanding the access and availability of content that would typically be too costly for a traditional television broadcast.
The founder and co-founder of the company, Dr. Mike O’Neal and Marcus Morton, are thrilled about the grant. “We are honored to be recognized by the National Science Foundation for our technology,” said Dr. O’Neal. NFT will use the funds to enhance the quality of video distributed by NFT networks while continuing to lower broadcast bandwidth costs – further improving NFT’s already exceptional viewing experience and solidifying its cost savings advantage. “Our main focus is to bring television to the Internet. We dramatically reduce the costs associated with online broadcasting which enables a wider variety of content to be made available to our viewers than is available in the mainstream broadcast market,” stated Dr. O’Neal.
The highly competitive National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which results in only about 1 in 20 proposed projects reaching Phase II status, is overseen by a panel of experts that review projects on the basis of their underlying technologies and potential for market impact.
NFT’s unique video broadcasting solution incorporates a customizable, downloadable player that streams content directly to the viewer’s computer desktop. With the ability to reach geographically diverse and unlimited audiences at a fraction of the bandwidth cost of other online broadcasting technologies, NFT’s platform is a viable solution for many content providers who want to deliver high quality live television-style programming that is free of charge to viewers.
The company’s distributed broadcast model avoids the pitfalls inherent in peer-to-peer file sharing systems by enabling the distribution of live content, eliminating the need to store data on each viewer’s hard drive, and limiting use of Internet connections to only those time periods when the viewer is actively tuned to a program. NFT’s patented technology builds and maintains a highly stable broadcast network by using the turnover inherent in distributed networks to drive the most reliable active connections to the most critical regions of the network, ensuring quality of service remains high. By never requiring any computer in the network to retransmit more than two copies of the broadcast stream, the network can continue expanding while keeping bandwidth costs low and controlled. This efficient and advantageous method for enabling distributed video broadcasting over the Internet previously earned NFT two awards (Phase I and Phase IB) from the National Science Foundation, validating the company’s visionary method.
NFT has ongoing partnerships with top sports leagues such as USA Weightlifting, USA Judo, arenafootball2 and the Central Hockey League. In the past, NFT has broadcast content for the Total Fighting Alliance (TFA), the 2007 European Baseball Championships, the International Baseball Federation’s (IBAF) 2007 World Championships from Taipei and the World Pro Handball association.
With headquarters in the South, NFT is also focused on being a leader in the “Silicon Bayou” of Louisiana and moving the State towards a sustainable economy rooted in technology.
About Network Foundation Technologies, LLC
Network Foundation Technologies, LLC (NFT: pronounced ‘NiFTy’) is a name that is quickly becoming synonymous with the online broadcasting of large, live events to world-wide audiences. NFT’s scalable distributed broadcast solution avoids the pitfalls inherent in peer-to-peer file sharing systems, such as storing content on end-users’ computers and constant use of their broadband Internet connection. The company’s patented technology used in its NiFTy Online Television™ product is the most efficient and successful method for enabling distributed video broadcasting over the Internet. For more information please visit NiFTyTV.com.
About The National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $5.92 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to over 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 42,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.