NCompass Live: The Next Best Thing to Having Your Own Gigabit Internet

Title: The Next Best Thing to Having Your Own Gigabit Internet

Description:

Did you know that every Nebraska public school district is connected via fiber to the

statewide network, and each is capable of 1,000Mbps Internet or more? Did you know

that most Nebraska public libraries are within 1-2 miles of a public school building but

fewer than 15% report their Internet capacity in excess of 25Mbps? Did you know that

approximately 50,000 K-12 students do not have Internet at home? What if there was a

way to partner to share school district Internet with your library with minimal cost AND

qualify for E-rate without excessive filtering? Attend this session to find out about this

closely guarded infrastructure secret and learn how to strike up a relationship with your

local public school district.

Presenter(s): Tom Rolfes -- Education IT Manager, Nebraska Information Technology Commission

Holly Woldt – Senior IT Infrastructure Support Analyst, Nebraska Library Commission

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Tom Rolfes, Education I.T. Manager

Office of the Chief Information Officer and

Nebraska Information Technology Commission

402.471.7969

[email protected]

Holly Woldt, Senior IT Infrastructure Support Analyst

Nebraska Library Commission

402.471.4871

[email protected]

Websites:

http://www.networknebraska.net (Network Nebraska)

http://www.nitc.ne.gov/ (Nebraska Information Technology Commission)

http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/ (Nebraska Library Commission)2

• What is Network Nebraska?

– A statewide consortium of 291 education entities working together to improve their telecommunications, share services and lower costs;

– A voluntary, self-funded network of 300+ fiber WAN circuits connecting to a statewide 2G-10G backbone carrying 85Gbps of commodity/peered Internet;

– Daily serving over 325,000 K-12 students and over 100,000 higher education students;

– Managed by the State of Nebraska Office of the CIO, in partnership with the University of Nebraska, with guidance from the Network Nebraska Advisory Group, Collaborative Aggregation Partnership, and the NITC. 3

• (N.R.S. 86-5,100 excerpt) The Chief Information Officer, in partnership with the University of Nebraska, shall develop and maintain a statewide, multipurpose, high capacity, scalable telecommunications network to be called Network Nebraska. The network shall consist of contractual arrangements with providers to meet the demand of state agencies, local governments, and educational entities as defined in section 79-1201.01. (LB 1208—2006 Session)

• While not specifically mentioned in statute, the State CIO regards public libraries as “local government”.

• Network Nebraska is completely self-funded and participation is completely voluntary.

• Public libraries directly connected to Network Nebraska:– Grand Island Public Library– Lincoln City Libraries 4

• Network Nebraska-Education 7/1/2017 Participants (291)– 244 public school districts (100%)

– 17 Educational Service Units (100%)

– 1 public university (100%)

– 3 state colleges (100%)

– 6 community colleges (100%)

– 2 tribal colleges (100%)

– 7 nonpublic colleges (50%)

– 39 nonpublic schools (20%)

– 2 public libraries (1%)

– 2 municipalities (.3%)

• Network Nebraska-Education POTENTIAL Participants (424)

– 7 nonpublic colleges

– 151 nonpublic schools

– 266 public libraries

– 530 municipalities

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Adams

Antelope

Blaine

Boone

Boyd

Brown

Butler

Cedar

Chase

Cherry

Cuming

Custer

Dakota

Dawson

Dixon

Dodge

Dundy Franklin

Frontier

FurnasGage

Garfield

Gosper

Grant

Hall Hamilton

HarlanHitchcock

Holt

Hooker

Jefferson

Kearney

Keya Paha

Knox

Loup

Nuckolls

Pawnee

Perkins

Phelps

Pierce

Polk

Red Willow

Sarpy

Stanton

Thayer

Thomas

Thurston

Webster

Wheeler

York

Clay

GreeleyArthur

Keith

McPherson

Logan

Hayes

Rock

Lincoln

Valley

Nance

Merrick

NemahaFillmore

Saline

Saunders

Johnson

Cass

Otoe

ColfaxPlatte

Richardson

Buffalo

Douglas

Washington

Revised: 09/01/2016 LLR

S:\networking\Network Nebraska\Network Nebraska-Education 2016

Seward

Backbone Sites

ShermanHoward

Burt

Wayne

Madison

Dawes

Garden

Sheridan

Kimball

Scotts Bluff

Banner

Morrill

Cheyenne

Deuel

Box Butte

Sioux

3 College campuses

Blue Shading on Counties Gray Shading on Counties

Lancaster

2 College campuses

87 School Districts 78 School districts5 ESU Offices (1, 2, 7, 8, & 17) 4 ESU Offices (10, 11, 15, & 16)

4 College campuses

24 School districts

4 ESU Offices (3, 5, 18, & 19)

3 College campuses

42 School districts

Western/SouthEast Regions

Salmon Shading on Counties

Southeast Region North Central/NorthEast Regions

South Central Regions

NU (NCTA,UNK)

Network Nebraska – Education 2016

2 ESU Offices (9, 13)

Homestead National Monument

Grand Island Public Library

White Shading on Counties

Southeast Region

2 Tribal Colleges

14 School districts

University Backbone

4 ESUs (3, 4, 6, & 16)

NU (UNO, UNL,UNMC)

Leased Lit Backbone

Leased Lit Aggregation

Internet 2 via UNL

campus in Lincoln

Internet via UNCSN

through Cogent out of

Omaha

Lincoln Public Libraries

Lincoln Children’s Zoo

Internet via UNCSN

through Windstream out of

Lincoln

13

1610

119

54

3

192

18

17

6

15

7

2017

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E-rate: Who bids? Who files? Who gets billed? Who pays the undiscounted portion?Type of Service Who bids and

contracts?Who files E-rate?

Who is the billed entity?

Who pays the balance?

Local Inter-campus circuits

K-12 schools & Libraries

K-12 schools & Libraries

K-12 schools & Libraries

K-12 schools & Libraries

Transport circuits to the backbone

State of Nebraska/K-12 schools & Libraries

K-12 schools & Libraries/ FY2019-20State of NE

K-12 schools & Libraries/ FY2019-20State of NE

K-12 schools & Libraries

Statewide backbone

State of Nebraska

State of Nebraska

State of Nebraska

K-12 schools & Libraries

Statewide Internet

State of Nebraska

State of Nebraska

State of Nebraska

K-12 schools & Libraries 8

• Setting the stage, Part I– 100% of public school districts connected by scalable fiber

– 100% of public school districts apply for E-rate

– Public school districts have access to more Internet than they can presently use

– School district curriculum and educational resources are becoming increasingly “digital” and Internet-based

– Statewide, an estimated 50,000 students (~15%) have insufficient Internet at home to complete homework

– Many of these students take home school-owned laptops or tablets paid for by tax dollars

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• Setting the stage, Part II– 85% of public libraries report Internet speeds below

25Mbps

– About 2/3 of public libraries do not apply for any E-rate

– Only about 4% of public libraries have begun applying for E-rate Category 2 funding to upgrade their internal wireless networks

– Public libraries are considered THE MOST important locations for community Internet access in small, rural communities

– Public school districts and public libraries historically have not collaborated to achieve faster Internet

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• What if there was a way for public libraries to receive a share of the public school district Internet to supplement their existing Internet access?

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Level 1 Interaction

• Public Library:– Sets up “homework hotspot”

by featuring school-owned computers at study tables OR

– Advertises school Wi-Fi for use by student and staff wireless devices

– Offers to supervise student patrons after school and on weekends

– Frees up ISP Internet for use by adult patrons and home school students

– Pays $0 or tiny Network Nebraska monthly fee

• School District:– Runs pilot wireless (e.g.

microwave, radio frequency, etc…) transport to library

– Deploys 802.11ac router and/or wireless access points in library

– Manages the Wi-Fi router as an extension of the school network

– Enables single sign-on by students and staff

– Shares filtered Internet with library at no charge, up to ~100Mbps

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Level 1 Interaction(Pilot: Non-E-rate eligible)

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PUBLIC SCHOOL

ISP INTERNET

NETWORK

NEBRASKA

INTERNET

LIBRARY

Wireless

Connection

Level 1 Interaction(Pilot: Non-E-rate eligible)

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PUBLIC SCHOOLLIBRARY Wireless Connection

From 0 up to 4 miles

Line of sight (LoS)

Cost of fixed wireless

equipment ranges

from a few hundred

dollars to a few

thousand dollars.

More distance +

Higher bandwidth =

More $$$$

Level 2 Interaction

• Public Library:– Joins school/library mini-

consortium for E-rate

– Terminates Internet contract with ISP and ISP bids on school--library circuit

– Offers to supervise student patrons after school and on weekends

– Expands programming to community through virtual field trips and other high bandwidth applications

– Pays .25 Network Nebraska monthly fee, ~$58/month

• School District:– School district and library

form mini-consortium with school district as consortium lead and technical support

– Bids for wired (e.g. copper, fiber) or wireless (e.g. microwave) circuit to library

– Deploys and manages 802.11ac router and/or wireless access points in library

– School district takes over library guest and student Internet access, filtered up to 40 Mbps 15

Level 2 Interaction(E-rate eligible)

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PUBLIC SCHOOL

ISP INTERNET

NETWORK

NEBRASKA

INTERNET

LIBRARY

Wired or

wireless

provider

connection

X

Level 3 Interaction

• Public Library:– Joins school/library mini-

consortium for E-rate

– Terminates Internet contract with ISP and ISP bids on school--library circuit

– Deploys and manages own 802.11ac router and/or wireless access points and filtering strategy

– Expands programming to community through virtual field trips and other high bandwidth applications

– Pays .25 Network Nebraska monthly fee; ~$58/month

• School District:– School district and library

form E-rate mini-consortium with school district as consortium lead and some technical support(?)

– Consortium bids for wired (e.g. copper, fiber) or wireless (e.g. microwave) circuit to library

– School district allows library to share unfiltered Network Nebraska Internet, as a VLAN off the school network, up to 40 Mbps

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Level 3 Interaction(E-rate eligible)

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PUBLIC SCHOOL

ISP INTERNET

NETWORK

NEBRASKA

INTERNET

LIBRARY

Wired or

wireless

provider

connection

X

Why collaborate?

• Public Library:– Most public libraries need

faster, more reliable, and more affordable Internet

– Public libraries are a key community anchor institution

– Public libraries and school districts both rely on tax revenue; working together can decrease the total cost for the taxpayers

– Public libraries have a mission to serve the entire community with information services, including many parents of K-12 students

• School District:– Achieving equity of access for

every K-12 student is a challenge for school districts

– It will take several different technology interventions to reach every student

– Helping the public library to achieve faster Internet helps narrow the homework gap

– Working together to support the library can improve the reputation of a school district among critical taxpayers

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What can libraries do now?• Public Library:

– Begin (or continue) recording the number of student patron visits

– Brush up on your E-rate expertise and go to www.usac.org and take the online training and watch online videos

– Cultivate a relationship with public school district administrators, technology staff, teachers, and school media director

– Start attending school board meetings and other community groups

– Learn about the challenges of the school district—financial, etc…

– Look for ways to complement and partner with school districts

– Research broadband, community and foundation grants

– Attend conferences and training sessions related to broadband, E-rate

– Apply for the Nebraska Library Commission’s Sparks Grant, if funded in April 2018

• Incentivizes school districts and public libraries to work together for faster broadband

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Sparks Grant 2018

• Institute of Museum and Library Services Leadership Grant

• Project Title: Nebraska Schools and Libraries—Breaking the Ice and Igniting Internet Relationships

• Project Summary: The Nebraska Library Commission, in partnership with the State Office of the Chief Information Officer, plans to use the SPARK Grant of $25,000 to incentivize up to five rural public school districts and five rural public libraries to work together to increase the internet speeds at the public library, provide homework hotspots for students who lack internet at home, and empower the public library to become a key Community Anchor within the community. The Nebraska Schools and Libraries—Breaking the Ice and Igniting Internet Relationships project will result in a replicable model for school/library partnerships and collaboration, interagency communication, diagnosis and resolution of technical impediments, and maximization of Category 1 and Category 2 E-rate funding for public libraries.

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QUESTIONS??

Tom Rolfes, Education I.T. Manager

Office of the Chief Information Officer and

Nebraska Information Technology Commission

402.471.7969

[email protected]

Holly Woldt, Senior IT Infrastructure Support Analyst

Nebraska Library Commission

402.471.4871

[email protected]

Websites:

http://www.networknebraska.net (Network Nebraska)

http://www.nitc.ne.gov/ (Nebraska Information Technology Commission)

http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/ (Nebraska Library Commission)

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