FREMONT, Calif. -- The Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance (EFMA) today announced that it is making excellent progress towards building industry momentum for Ethernet in the First Mile technology. The collective efforts of its members make the EFMA a driving force in the development of Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) technology and the acceleration of industry awareness. "It is exciting to, once again, work with industry leaders to establish Ethernet dominance in a new market segment," says Jonathan Thatcher, Chairman of the Board of the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance and Principal Engineer at World Wide Packets. "We are poised to finalize the baseline proposals that will define this new standard at the next IEEE P802.3ah (Ethernet in the First Mile) in Edinburgh, Scotland on May 20, 2002." In the tradition of past Ethernet marketing alliances (e.g. Fast Ethernet Alliance, Gigabit Ethernet Alliance, and the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Alliance), the EFMA is working in parallel with the IEEE 802.3 standards organization to ensure the market success of this new Ethernet technology. To date, the EFMA has grown its membership to 20 companies, sponsored several successful technical and marketing meetings, is preparing to issue its first white paper and will be speaking at a variety of top industry conferences around the world to educate and prepare the marketplace for the next great economic frontier - true broadband. Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance (EFMA)