For each of the three main pieces of a typical district network, the FCC has adopted connectivity standards. Scroll over network diagram for connectivity goals.
The Typical School Network
Typical school district network
Robust broadband that fully supports digital learning requires that each part of a district’s network be working in unison and at full capacity. If one or more of the pieces of the network is broken or underperforming, then high-speed broadband and therefore rich, digital learning content cannot reach students’ devices.
Learn more about school networks
Three Prerequisites to Improving
School Connectivity
1. Every school needs access to fiber.
Fiber optic connections are the only technology that can scale to meet bandwidth needs. It is also the most cost-effective way to deliver high-speed connectivity. Districts with fiber connections have 75% lower costs and 9x more bandwidth. By 2018, 98% of schools will need fiber to meet digital learning connectivity targets. Yet today approximately 35% of schools do not have fiber.
2. Bandwidth must be affordable.
Affordability is the number one barrier to schools acquiring the speeds necessary for digital learning. Schools with enough bandwidth for digital learning pay 1/3 the cost per megabit of those without sufficient connectivity. These schools also have Internet access budgets that are 4.5x larger per student than those on the wrong side of the digital divide.
3. Every classroom must have robust Wi-Fi.
Wireless technology allows for connectivity to reach all the way to students’ devices and enables the rich digital learning that can transform our education system. Today 40% of schools have no Wi-Fi in their classrooms and an additional 36% lack Wi-Fi capable of supporting 1:1 learning.