Post by title1parent on Jun 10, 2008 6:34:15 GMT -5
D204 OKs Internet deal
June 10, 2008Recommend
By Paige Winfield pwinfield@scn1.com
A new, in-ground network will dramatically improve Internet speed for District 204 schools under a contract approved Monday night by the school board.
Norlight Inc., a Wisconsin-based telecommunications company, submitted the best and cheapest offer to provide upgraded bandwidth and high-speed Internet for the schools' wide-area network, Chief Financial Officer David Zolnier said.
After paying a $635,620 implementation charge, the district will pay an estimated $17,653 monthly service fee based on a seven-year agreement. Zolnier said the cost is much lower than he expected, recalling that he initially estimated paying $7 million just to install the system.
"A few years ago, we weren't able to do this ... the costs were too great," Zolnier said. "We're finally at a point where this is possible."
While most district schools currently use wireless networks with speeds of five to 50 megabits, the new one gigabit network will accelerate information transfer by up to 2,000 percent, Zolnier said.
"The speeds are terribly slow," he said.
Seven companies responded when the district sent out requests for a proposal in April. Comcast and AT&T were ranked in second and third place, after Norlight. Norlight specializes in fiber solutions for schools and similar structures and has heavy fiber infrastructure throughout the country, Zolnier said.
Because optical fiber has a high data-carrying capacity, it is generally chosen for systems that require higher bandwidth or span longer distances than electrical cabling can accommodate. But since fiber carries a larger material cost, electrical transmission is often chosen for lower bandwidth needs.
School board member Alka Tyle said she had not expected the district to be able to afford the high-speed network for another few years.
"We had to go there sometime and I didn't think we'd go there for a few years, but this is amazing," Tyle said
June 10, 2008Recommend
By Paige Winfield pwinfield@scn1.com
A new, in-ground network will dramatically improve Internet speed for District 204 schools under a contract approved Monday night by the school board.
Norlight Inc., a Wisconsin-based telecommunications company, submitted the best and cheapest offer to provide upgraded bandwidth and high-speed Internet for the schools' wide-area network, Chief Financial Officer David Zolnier said.
After paying a $635,620 implementation charge, the district will pay an estimated $17,653 monthly service fee based on a seven-year agreement. Zolnier said the cost is much lower than he expected, recalling that he initially estimated paying $7 million just to install the system.
"A few years ago, we weren't able to do this ... the costs were too great," Zolnier said. "We're finally at a point where this is possible."
While most district schools currently use wireless networks with speeds of five to 50 megabits, the new one gigabit network will accelerate information transfer by up to 2,000 percent, Zolnier said.
"The speeds are terribly slow," he said.
Seven companies responded when the district sent out requests for a proposal in April. Comcast and AT&T were ranked in second and third place, after Norlight. Norlight specializes in fiber solutions for schools and similar structures and has heavy fiber infrastructure throughout the country, Zolnier said.
Because optical fiber has a high data-carrying capacity, it is generally chosen for systems that require higher bandwidth or span longer distances than electrical cabling can accommodate. But since fiber carries a larger material cost, electrical transmission is often chosen for lower bandwidth needs.
School board member Alka Tyle said she had not expected the district to be able to afford the high-speed network for another few years.
"We had to go there sometime and I didn't think we'd go there for a few years, but this is amazing," Tyle said