<!-- wmLetter_head_start -->
<table align="center" style="empty-cells: show;" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;"><div style="padding: 5px; overflow-x: auto;"><!-- wmLetter_head_end --><html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000; font-size:10pt;"><div>Richard,</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for posting. Its not just rural school districts. I recently inquired about how Denver Public Schools measures up to the PARCC guidelines (200 Kpbs per kid). The Chief Information Officer responded (excerpt):</div><div><br></div><div> "<span style="">The district maintains two internet connections through separate providers to supply 4 Gbps of total internet bandwidth to the district. With approximately 84,000 students, we currently provide roughly 47 Mbps of internet bandwidth per 1,000 students (47 Kbps per student)"</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">Here is how that 47 Kbps/kid compares with some rural CO school districts:</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">- 50% that of Center School District, (Saguache County, a persistent poverty county, and home of law suit Lobato v. State of CO seeking to redress "fair and equitable" resources for education)</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">-5%, yes, 5 % that of Steamboat Springs school district (3 hours from any metro district and until recently had only ONE middle mile connection)</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">Denver as you know is:</span></div><div><span style="">-home to some billionaires</span></div><div><span style="">-home to world or at least regional headquarters of major telecom providers</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">The short answer to solutions:</span></div><div><span style="">1. Awareness: what is your number (Kbps/kid) Mr/Ms. Superintendent/Pres. of School Board/County Commissioners? You don't need a state/federal government survey to learn that.</span></div><div><span style="">2. Use the market to get solutions: Only 14% of CO school districts run RFPs for bandwidth. I have noticed school districts that leverage RFPs/local providers enjoy much better bandwidth options and service.</span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">Frank </span></div><div><span style=""><br></span><span style=""></span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style=""><br></span></div><div><span style="">-------- Original Message --------</span></div><blockquote id="replyBlockquote" webmail="1" style="border-left: 2px solid blue; margin-left: 8px; padding-left: 8px; font-size:10pt; color:black; font-family:verdana;"><div id="wmQuoteWrapper">
Subject: [1st-mile-nm] State officials eye broadband in New Mexico rural<br>
schools<br>
From: Richard Lowenberg <<a href="mailto:Rl@1st-mile.org">Rl@1st-mile.org</a>><br>
Date: Wed, June 03, 2015 12:43 pm<br>
To: 1st-Mile-NM <<a href="mailto:1st-mile-nm@mailman.dcn.org">1st-mile-nm@mailman.dcn.org</a>><br>
<br>
<div>Following is a short AP article posted today, which I think deserves some consideration</div><div>and productive follow-up discussion on this list. Below it is an excerpt from an article</div><div>posted just over one year ago. </div><div><br></div><div>My understanding and experience is that statewide schools' broadband and tech. surveys</div><div>have been repeatedly conducted over the past 8 years, to determine which are the most </div><div>in-need schools and what the costs would be. Where are survey results? What is the status </div><div>of last year's SB-159 funding allocation? Why will it take 3-5 more years to connect schools </div><div>to 1Mb access, as noted by Ovidiu Viorica? This is not broadband, and is not adequate.</div><div>This is not a matter of cost or technical difficulty. It is a matter of lack of will. </div><div><br></div><div>Broadband connecting all NM schools is a rapidly achievable initiative, bringing together</div><div>the State, telecom. providers, federal funding, community buy-in and shared networking</div><div>opportunities, with economically and socially benefiting win-win outcomes.</div><div>What's stopping us? </div><div><br></div><div>RL</div><div><br></div><div>------</div><div><br></div><b>State officials eye broadband in New Mexico rural schools</b><br><br><div>Created: 06/03/2015 <br>By: RUSSELL CONTRERAS Associated Press<div><br>SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - State officials say they hope to get broadband into most New Mexico schools by the end of the decade.<br>Ovidiu Viorica, who oversees a broadband program for the New Mexico Public Schools Facilities Authority, told a legislative committee on Tuesday that officials are still trying to determine the costs.</div><div><br>Viorica says officials are wrapping up a statewide survey to determine what rural school districts face challenges in getting broadband.<br>He says the goal is to get 1,000 kilobits per second for students and staff by 2018.</div><div><br>State officials say New Mexico still lags behind many states, including Utah and Mississippi, on broadband access in public schools.<br>Officials say broadband in schools is needed because of new online testing requirements and a changing world of teaching.</div><div><br>(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)</div><div><br></div><div>---------</div><div><br></div><div>March 10, 2014<br><br>Bill Signed to Invest $50 Million in Broadband Infrastructure for Public Schools<br><br>Santa Fe, NM – Governor Susana Martinez signed Senate Bill 159 (SB159), sponsored by Senator Jacob Candelaria (D-26-Bernalillo) and co-sponsored by Representative Mimi Stewart (D-21-Bernalillo). The bill will allow the Public School Capital Outlay Council (PSCOC) to expend up to $10 million annually for the next five fiscal years, to correct deficiencies in broadband infrastructure in schools statewide.</div><div><br></div><div><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nmsenate.com/2014/03/10/bill-signed-to-invest-50-million-into-technology-infrastructure-for-public-schools/">www.nmsenate.com/2014/03/10/bill-signed-to-invest-50-million-into-technology-infrastructure-for-public-schools/</a></div><div><br></div><div><br><div> <div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div>---------------------------------------------------------</div><div>Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director</div><div>1st-Mile Institute <a target="_blank" href="http://www.1st-mile.org">www.1st-mile.org</a> </div><div>P. O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504</div><div>505-603-5200 <a target="_blank" href="mailto:rl@1st-mile.org">rl@1st-mile.org</a></div><div>---------------------------------------------------------</div></div><div><br></div></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div> <br></div></div><hr>_______________________________________________<br>
1st-mile-nm mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:1st-mile-nm@mailman.dcn.org">1st-mile-nm@mailman.dcn.org</a><br>
<a href="http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm">http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm</a><br>
</div>
</blockquote></span></body></html><!-- wmLetter_tail_start --></div></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: left; background-repeat: no-repeat;" align="left" height="94" colspan="1"><img src="cid:bottom@215bf844f88e0dc77be936418dcc99a5"></td></tr></table><!-- wmLetter_tail_end -->