Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the It Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves E-rate bids and joins Region 16 EDNET fiber consortium for resilient internet
Summary
Trustees approved recommended vendors for E-rate-funded cabling, UPS, and network equipment and signed an interlocal agreement to join Region 16's EDNET Fiber Consortium for a 10 Gbps resilient connection beginning July 2026.
The board approved multiple technology procurements recommended under the federal E-rate program and voted to join Region 16's EDNET Fiber Consortium to secure a resilient 10-gigabit-per-second Internet connection.
Technology staff explained the E-rate process and the district's 70% discount rate this year based on free-and-reduced lunch counts and rural designation. The board approved three vendor recommendations: Advanced Networks of Texas as the lowest responsive cabling bidder for selected campus cabling upgrades; Netsync for uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and network equipment; and NetSync was recommended for switch and appliance work despite a different bidder proposing equipment incompatible with the district's existing infrastructure. Staff said the pre-discount total for the recommended E-rate projects would be roughly in the mid six-figure range (staff referenced a pre-discount figure just under $800,000); the district would pay about 30% after the 70% E-rate discount if the federal funding is approved.
Separately, technology staff recommended and the board approved participation in the Region 16 EDNET Fiber Consortium interlocal agreement. The consortium contract is a 10-year agreement that would provide a resilient 10 Gbps circuit into the district's service center for an annual cost of $22,850 under the consortium pricing; the circuit includes two fiber paths into the DSC and Region 16 for redundancy and can be upgraded to 20 Gbps with appropriate equipment. One trustee recused from the EDNET vote; the interlocal agreement passed with six trustees voting in favor and one recusal.
Administrators emphasized that approving E-rate bids does not obligate immediate purchases but preserves the district's ability to purchase discounted equipment during the 2025-26 buying window. Staff noted the district extended its current Internet agreement and increased capacity to 8 Gbps for the interim year while the consortium service begins in July 2026.
