Savings and Connectivity for Allegheny County Pennsylvania Schools

In Pennsylvania, many of Allegheny County’s schools are about to experience new and improved high-speed Internet access. This summer, school districts throughout Allegheny County will get better connectivity and save public dollars with a new Regional Wide Area Network. 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Allegheny Intermediate Unit struck a deal with a new contractor to deliver better connectivity for less. The Allegheny Intermediate Unit, a branch of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, provides services to 42 schools and five career and technical centers in the county surrounding Pittsburgh.

Paying Less and Getting More

The new network will generate major cost savings for the school districts. Jon Amelio, the Chief Technology Officer for Allegheny Intermediate Unit, estimates that they will pay 40 percent - 70 percent less than they do now. Currently, the school districts are paying $1,500 per month; with the new contract, the same speed and connectivity will only cost $550 per month. Many of the school districts are opting to increase their speeds, some by as much as 10-fold for only $895 per month.

Students and teachers will appreciate the faster speeds next school year. The connectivity affects nearly every level of education in the county from preschool teachers working with smartboards to high school students learning about 3-D printers. The new network will also better facilitate the Chinese language classes where Chinese graduate students teach 178 middle- and high-school students in 15 schools via video-conferencing. (For more information on schools and connectivity, check out the Institutional Networks page.)

How Is This Possible?

The structure of the new network enables these major cost savings. The school districts will buy connectivity in bulk under the new contract. This process consolidates the demand, driving down the price. That means better connectivity for less with the new Regional Wide Area Network; the old Regional Wide Area Network did not have this process.

Since 2008, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit has used an older Regional Wide Area Network for the 42 schools and five career/technical colleges. The high prices from that contractor, however, made the Allegheny Intermediate Unit rebid the contract. The new contractor will build a new and more reliable network, starting on July 1st. 

The Benefits of Ownership

The school districts will get better connectivity thanks to the savings from the new Regional Wide Area Network or as Chief Technology Officer Amelio explained:

 “It’s the beauty of bulk purchasing.”'

School districts that own infrastructure, rather than lease expensive lines from Internet service providers, have the flexibility to engage in this type of cost sharing techniques.

Over time, the cost per Megabit for Internet access has decreased; schools with their own infrastructure can capitalize on the reduction to negotiate better contracts to cut down on telecommunications costs. They have better control over their budgets, control their network, and can plan for the future. When they collaborate, they can get even better rates and use the savings for improved educational opportunities.

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