The document discusses issues related to increasing network capacity as schools move to a 1:1 student device model. It notes that the minimum standard bandwidth per student is 1 Mbps, but that capacity needs to double every 18 months to accommodate growing usage. A 5,000 student district would need to pay $250,000 per month for the minimum 1 Mbps per student. While costs can be reduced through bulk purchasing and eliminating textbooks, network appliances and maintenance are also expensive. Federal E-Rate funding of $4.15 billion per year can help offset costs for eligible schools and libraries.

1. Network Capacity
Issues to address as we move to 1:1 student devices

2. *Minimum standard: 1 megabit per second per student (Mbps),
equivalent to the most basic cable plan –
normal family of four requires much more than this.
https://www.reviews.org/internet-service/what-are-mbps/
*It is the long-term
goal set by the Federal
Communications
Commission (FCC) and
originally established
by the State Education
Technology Directors
Association (SETDA) as
the 2017 goal for
Internet capacity.
https://thejournal.co
m/articles/2015/06/1
1/network-capacity-
growth-plan-for-
exponential-
increases.aspx

3. 5,000 student school district
1 Mbps - $250,000 per month

4. Expect growth of 60% per year.
So, capacity needs double
every 18 months.
https://thejournal.com/articles/2015/06/11/network-
capacity-growth-plan-for-exponential-increases.aspx

5. Slowdown not on the horizon
The tools and resources for digital
learning are immature.
No matter how much bandwidth
Students use it.

6. As teachers and students get used to 1:1,
expectations of reliability go up.
They depend on it for daily work.

7. Network appliances such
as filters and security are
expensive and have to
be upgraded with
capacity upgrades.
The design and
maintenance are
complex – can we afford
to pay in house for that?.

8. All Is Not Lost

9. Think of how we are using it –
Costs can be mitigated
Save $ from
textbook
elimination
IT jobs change
or are
eliminated
https://thejournal.com/Articles/2015/07/09/How-Do-We-Make-School-Network-
Infrastructure-Affordable.aspx?Page=3

10. Costs are on a
downward
curve
States, large districts, combinations of
small districts can reduce costs with
the purchasing power they wield
https://thejournal.com/Articles/2015/07/09/How-Do-We-Make-School-Network-
Infrastructure-Affordable.aspx?Page=3

11. E-Rate Federal Funding can be a Game Changer
“The FCC's E-Rate program
makes telecommunications and
information services more
affordable for schools and
libraries. With funding from the
Universal Service Fund
(fcc.gov/encyclopedia/universal-
service-fund), E-Rate provides
discounts for
telecommunications, Internet
access, and internal connections
to eligible schools and libraries.”
-E-Rate: Universal Service
Program for Schools and Libraries
- FCC
$4.15 Billion was
available for schools
and libraries in 2019.

12. References
Images courtesy of Creative Commons.org, Stephen Teague, and https://snmpcenter.com/the-importance-of-sdn-for-wireless-transmission/.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/technology/google-education-chromebooks-schools.html
https://www.educationsuperhighway.org/blog/broadband-budget-planning/
https://www.asumag.com/construction/technology-communications/article/20853196/broadband-capacity-is-the-
top-priority-for-it-in-k12-schools-survey-finds
https://www.reviews.org/internet-service/what-are-mbps/
https://thejournal.com/articles/2015/06/11/network-capacity-growth-plan-for-exponential-increases.aspx
https://thejournal.com/Articles/2015/07/09/How-Do-We-Make-School-Network-Infrastructure-Affordable.aspx?Page=3
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/universal-service-program-schools-and-libraries-e-rate
Content for this presentation was taken from the following resources: