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Board approves 10-year dark-fiber WAN contract with Astound Business Solutions, contingent on E-rate approval
Summary
The Molalla River School District Board voted to approve a 10-year dark-fiber wide area network (WAN) services contract with Astound Business Solutions totaling $720,000 over the contract life, to be submitted for E-rate evaluation; the contract is contingent on USAC/E-rate approval.
The Molalla River School District 35 Board approved March 20 a resolution to move forward with a 10-year dark-fiber WAN services contract with Astound Business Solutions, a contract the district says will total $720,000 over the 10-year term. Staff will submit the contract to the E-rate program administrator (USAC/FCC) for evaluation and funding approval.
District technology staff explained the procurement and evaluation process. The district issued a request for proposals for E-rate category 1 data transmission services and received four responses. A district evaluation committee reviewed proposals on technical capability, service reliability, contract terms, eligibility for E-rate discounts, scalability, references and total cost of ownership. The committee’s scoring emphasized total cost; staff reported that Astound’s dark-fiber proposal had the lowest 20-year total cost of ownership and the strongest overall scoring.
Under the proposal, the district would use a dark-fiber network it controls, allowing the district to scale bandwidth internally by upgrading optics on owned equipment. Staff said that a dark-fiber solution initially could match the district’s existing 10 Gbps service and be scaled up to 50 Gbps as needed by changing optics.
Staff advised the board that E-rate will review both the district’s procurement process and the proposed pricing; because Astound’s proposal was the lowest-cost option, staff said E-rate is likely to accept the filing. The district noted E-rate would cover 80% of eligible costs under the current discount bracket.
The contract timeline described in the presentation allows Astound to begin construction as soon as July 1, 2025, with a handoff from the district’s current provider by June 30, 2026, if E-rate approval and all contractual steps proceed.
A board member moved to approve the Astound Business Solutions dark-fiber WAN services contract (10 years; $720,000 total). Another board member seconded the motion; the board approved the motion by voice/hand vote. The board recorded the motion as contingent upon successful E-rate approval and USAC evaluation before the district executes the contract.
