In the linked public comment notice, there's an appendix that shows a presentation that the Gates Foundation gave to FCC representatives. The Gates Foundation has several areas of focus. One of those areas has been the improvement of Internet connectivity to public libraries.
There's much to consider and I haven't had time to process it all, but it certainly isn't lost on me that the term "anchor institutions" is being floated around by different groups at the federal level, with public schools squarely in definition of this. E-Rate Central speculates the following:
This could be a hint that the FCC is focusing on the role of schools and libraries, particularly in rural areas, to support wider broadband connectivity. If so, this would probably require changes to the E-rate program.The questions the FCC has in their notice are certainly an effort to clarify or validate some of the assumptions that are being made about the connectivity needs. There is an assumption that 80% of these anchor institutions lack fiber. I would assume this NOT to be the case in KY K-12, though E-Rate funds are heavily relied upon to subsidize the cost of fiber connectivity. Also, when thinking of that fact, I'm hopeful that comments are made related to question 7:
Should operating expenses be a consideration when calculating cost for connecting anchor institutions to fiber? What operating expenses would be associated with running these networks, and how would those vary by type of institution and geography?Of course, these comments may be related to operating costs of the service provider. Whatever the result, the "anchor institution" will want an affordable option for fiber-based connectivity. Many of Kentucky's current options are affordable only because of the federal E-Rate program, so I'll be interested to see how all of this shakes out.
No comments:
Post a Comment