Why Build a Regional Network?
- Create a reliable and resilient, carrier-class fiber infrastructure for all districts in Region 10
- A cost effective, future-proof, and scalable network capable of long-term growth - bandwidth is no longer an issue
- Increased bandwidth provides the ESC and individual districts the opportunity to provide additional services directly to other districts over the consortium’s private circuits
- Consortium buying power to layer optional services such as DDOS, firewall, web filtering, VoIP, etc - What else can we do?
- Provide high-speed buildout to rural areas - all districts have equitable access
- Provides opportunity for districts to partner with the ESC or other districts to share additional services directly over the consortium’s private circuits
Why Build Now?
Building a dedicated fiber network is expensive, however…
- Texas State Matching funds from Classroom Connectivity Initiative
- $25 million state match - 10% of fiber construction costs (available for FY 18)
- E-rate Program chips in another 10% to equal the state match (available for FY 18)
- Consortium E-rate discount is 71%
- Consortium only pays 9% of fiber buildout costs
- Allows most cost effective creation of the network for Region 10 districts and charters
Why the consortium model?
- Cost effective - leverage size of consortium to drive down costs
- Buying from Costco instead of a convenience store
- Additional capabilities not generally available to individual district or charter
- Active DDOS Mitigation
- Direct connections to Amazon, Microsoft, Google, State testing providers and other statewide education networks
- This is YOUR network - dedicated fiber - not shared
- Reliable and resilient carrier class optical network with 10 Gig connections to each district
- Cost savings per MB to ISD’s
- Opens doors to future initiatives: wireless networks where students have Internet Access from home
- Single Support point
- Region 10, as the fiscal agent, takes care of all E-Rate responsibilities related to your network circuit