Looking to support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA (News - Alert) Telethon, Cox Business / Hospitality Network has announced that the company will provide a 100 Mbps wired and wireless Internet connection for administrative and production staff. The company has stated that the retail value of the donated Internet services totals $90,000.

As the third-largest cable entertainment and broadband services provider in the country, Cox (News - Alert) Communications Inc. is best known for pioneering the bundle of television, Internet and telephone services together.

To communicate with the more than 170 television stations that constitute the Telethon's "Love Network”, MDA staff will be using wired and wireless Internet from the Advanced Convention Services segment of Cox Business (News - Alert) / Hospitality Network during the 21.5-hour Telethon. Alos, with the help of the company's powerful Internet connection and flexible telecommunications infrastructure, MDA staff will transmit photos and press materials to over 1,000 broadcast and print media across the country.

“We've been providing Internet connectivity to the MDA Telethon for the last five years," noted Mike Bolognini, vice president of Cox Business and Hospitality Network in Las Vegas. "Support of children and families is very much in alignment with our existing corporate values, and knowing that we can help 'Jerry's Kids' in this way makes us feel very good about being a technology provider.”

Cox Communications is the founding member of Cable in the Classroom, a national non-profit organization that provides commercial-free TV programming and online resources to students, teachers and administrators in 71,000 public and private schools. Apart from direct cash contributions that total millions of dollars annually, schools in Cox systems receive free cable programming along with other in-kind services.

Recently, the company announced it will provide Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) with light speed computer connection, based on Obsidian Strategics technology, an advanced, military-grade technology. With this, company officials said Cox will be providing TGen with the nation’s fastest supercomputer link among life-sciences facilities. This LightWave service from Cox Business is based on technology designed for mission-critical military applications by Obsidian.