BROADBAND IMPROVEMENTS. Arkansas Department of Education & Arkansas Department of Information Systems

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1 BROADBAND IMPROVEMENTS Arkansas Department of Education & Arkansas Department of Information Systems

2 APSCN UPGRADE WHERE ARE WE? ADE & DIS have been working together to bring higher-speed, more affordable broadband to districts through the state s network, APSCN. In mid-april, DIS awarded contracts for upgrading APSCN to 21 vendors throughout the state. Implementation of these upgrades will begin July 2015 and are scheduled to be completed within the following 2 years.

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4 APSCN UPGRADE STRUCTURE The improved APSCN will function as an aggregated network: 1) Broadband Internet will travel along established infrastructure leased by the state; 2) Internet will be transported by the state from regional aggregation points to district hubs (also known as WANs, or Wide Area Networks); 3) Districts will be responsible for connecting schools/campuses via a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network).

5 APSCN UPGRADE TIMELINE DIS has been reaching out to districts to determine what, if anything, each district may need in order to be able to join the improved APSCN. Contract status - DIS will examine existing contracts between districts and private providers for connectivity to determine: 1) If your existing provider is the same as the provider that won the state contract from DIS; 2) The length remaining on the contract; 3) The actual terms of the contract particularly whether there is a clause stating that all terms are dependent upon your district receiving federal E- rate funds. MAN status - DIS will establish if districts have sufficient MAN infrastructure in place and/or plans to build MAN infrastructure to connect the district hub to all served buildings. Additionally, DIS will examine any special issues presented by your district s geography.

6 APSCN UPGRADE TIMELINE, CONT. Any district that has been receiving its connectivity solely from APSCN in past years, as opposed to receiving connectivity from a private provider, will be assisted by DIS on a case-by-case basis.

7 APSCN UPGRADE TIMELINE, CONT. Once DIS has compiled all information from districts, a full implementation schedule will be shared, showing when your district will be able to join the improved APSCN. All districts on the improved ASPCN will have 100% of the bandwidth paid for by ADE, starting at 100Kbps/user (with a min. of 100Mbps, total).

8 APSCN UPGRADE TIMELINE, CONT. ADE will not pay for connectivity a district obtains from a third party. Furthermore, the FCC has indicated it is unlikely that E-rate funds will be provided to help offset third party costs, meaning districts would likely be responsible for 100% of the cost of broadband obtained from an entity other than DIS. While the above statement is not a reflection of current E-rate rules, it is based on guidance given directly to DIS by the FCC. Any district that obtains broadband from a third party will also be responsible for ensuring that all network connections meet the state s security requirements.

9 APSCN UPGRADE TIMELINE, CONT. Any additional bandwidth needed by a district would have to be paid for with district funds. Similarly, it is unlikely that E-rate funds will be provided to help offset the cost of additional bandwidth obtained from a third party, meaning districts would likely be responsible for 100% of the cost of any additional bandwidth obtained from an entity other than DIS. Additional bandwidth from DIS will be E-rate eligible. Cost for this additional bandwidth will be billed to districts in full; E-rate reimbursements will be sent to districts upon their receipt by the state.

10 APSCN UPGRADE TIMELINE, CONT. Districts that are found to have an insufficient MAN (where there are missing connections between the district hub and buildings that need to be served by the network) will be assisted by DIS on a case-by-case basis. There is little restriction as to how a district s MAN need be structured. You are encouraged to explore all options that may be a good fit for your district, including fixed wireless technology. Building MANs, where necessary, may be aided by the ability to purchase needed services off of DIS s state contract. MAN purchases off of the state contract will be billed to districts in full; E-rate reimbursements will be sent to districts upon their receipt by the state.

11 APSCN UPGRADE TIMELINE, CONT. As a result of the guidance from the FCC, from the time a district is deemed able to join the improved APSCN, it should be able to terminate its existing contract within a reasonable amount of time, according to the provisions of the district s contract. DIS will work with each district as it transitions from a private provider network to the improved APSCN, in order to properly document that transition with the FCC & USAC. ADE will begin paying for your district s connectivity as soon as your district joins the improved APSCN.

12 APSCN UPGRADE TIMELINE, CONT. If any district has difficulty terminating its current contract in order to join the improved APSCN, DIS has indicated it will assist in mediating contract renegotiations. All possible avenues of support for districts that may face difficult contractual situations are being researched.

13 Content filtering - NETWORK SECURITY DIS will provide M86 filtering to the upgraded APSCN at the state level. A district will still be able to provide its own filtering at the local level, in addition to what the state is providing. Local filtering will need to be paid for with district funds.

14 CONNECTING SECURELY TO ADE WHILE SUBMITTING DATA The current plan is for districts to submit data (such as cycle reports) to ADE using a VPN until the district has joined the upgraded APSCN. ADE and DIS are looking at various ways to improve the present VPN solution, irrespective of these upgrades to APSCN. ADE understands that VPN improvements are needed for educators who want to work securely from home as well as for a number of other purposes. The state s VPN solution is not intended to be a solution for districts who choose not to participate in the upgraded APSCN.

15 THE FUTURE OF E-RATE As soon as districts have joined the improved APSCN, E-rate funding for connectivity on the improved APSCN will be covered by the state s consortium E-rate application. Districts may still file for and receive funding for WiFi and/or other district-level, E-rate eligible purchases. Districts may choose to file for MAN purchases, as well, if the districts are able to find pricing for those MAN purchases that is better than the pricing on the state contract.

16 MAINTAINING HIGH QUALITY SERVICE A number of things will stay the same, even as changes to the network are implemented: Security - DIS will maintain, and eventually strengthen, the level of data security it provides across state networks. Customer service - DIS will provide its 24/7 call center as a service to districts that encounter network issues, as well as its LAN Support Team in order to help district personnel troubleshoot problems that they may spot.

17 APSCN UPGRADE WHAT IT ALL MEANS The bottom line, once all these upgrades have been completed, is: The state will be able to offer Internet to school districts at speeds up to 200 times faster per user than we have ever been able to offer. Districts will no longer have to pay for connectivity up to at least 100Kbps/user (with a min. of 100Mbps, total). By 2017, ADE hopes to pay for connectivity up to 1Mbps/user. This will save millions of dollars for Arkansas taxpayers and potentially free up crucial funds for districts to use for other purposes.

18 DIS s Call Center WHO TO CONTACT (501) dis.callcenter@arkansas.gov

19 QUESTIONS?