Austin Community College, the Austin Independent School District, along with the University of Texas, the General Services Commission of the State of Texas, Travis County, and the Lower Colorado River Authority agreed to form the Greater Austin Area Telecommunications Network (GAATN) to utilize high-speed fiber optic cables to transmit computer generated digital data along with video images, voice, and voice messages. The expandable network was expected to include many additional sites. ACC and AISD, as GAATN’s principal partners, agreed to provide most of the initial $16.9 million cost of the project. GAATN represented a giant step forward for communication, both in through-put and reliability, across the ACC district.
Source: Austin American-Statesman, June 4, 1993, www.gaatn.org