March 6, 2000 -- Friedman Kaplan represented Cogent Communications, a specialized Internet service provider (ISP) offering high-speed Internet access, in connection with a $280 million contract with Cisco Systems Inc. to create the first end-to-end, all-optical network to deliver Internet access service. The contract involves building a new network optimized for Internet traffic that will offer 100 times faster access than a T-1 connection at lower costs. Cogent, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., will roll out its service to multi-tenanted commercial buildings initially in New York and eventually to twelve other major U.S. markets, including Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Boston, San Jose, Washington, D.C., and Miami. Friedman Kaplan partner Gregg S. Lerner, counsel Ira A. Freedman, and associate Craig J. Codlin worked on the transaction.