The U.S. Government Education and Training Network is a network of networks operated by a consortium of 17 federal agencies. With over 10,000 scheduled hours of broadcasting each year (4,500 from ATN alone), from 15 uplinks reaching out to over 1,500 receive sites, GETN offers high-quality, low-cost ITV with virtually limitless distribution capability within the US today and overseas.

The Air Technology Network (ATN) is an interactive television (ITV) network that consists of one-way video uplinks reaching receive-only downlinks but with two-way audio interaction. ATN uses compressed digital video (CDV), which greatly reduces the cost of transmission, but provides high quality, full motion video. ATN now reaches classrooms across 150 AF sites within the US (including Alaska and Hawaii) and 13 locations in Europe and the Western Pacific, with education & training programs broadcast from uplinks at multiple Air Force bases.

The connection to Europe is being made through the Global Broadcast Service with a gateway uplink at Norfolk, Virginia. WestPac is being reached by using Cyberstar, Inc. satellite service.

Since its development in 1991, ATN has been used to provide continuing education & training to over 32,000 students. The network is managed by the ATN Program Management Office, which is located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The The PMO (AFIADL OL-A) is a division of the Air Force Institute for Advanced Distributed Learning headquartered at Maxwell AFB.

Satellite Delivery of ADL content

Pilot testing of datacasting for high-speed ADL Web delivery is underway in cooperation with Air Technology Network and the ADL Consulting Branch. AFIADL is leveraging the existing unidirectional datacasting capability of the AFIADL Air Technology Network by adding a bi-directional component, providing global reach capabilities for learning content and student administration between field operating locations and the centralized AF-ILC hub. This satellite-based initiative will allow the rapid, mass distribution of course content to servers across the globe avoiding Internet bottlenecks.

Visit the Air Technology Network website