City approves 11-year renewal with Pinal County Technology Consortium for library internet service

The Apache Junction City Council unanimously approved renewal of the library's participation in the Pinal County Technology Consortium, an arrangement that lets the library use the federal E-Rate School and Library Program to obtain heavily subsidized telecommunications and internet service.

Pam Harrison, Apache Junction Public Library director, told the council the consortium—operated through the county education service agency—provides an 83% discount on telecom and internet access for eligible public libraries and schools, enabling the library to secure up to a 10-gigabit-per-second connection at a subsidized cost of $176.91 per month. Harrison recommended the mayor sign an 11-year letter of agency covering funding years 2024 through 2035.

Harrison said the library first joined the consortium in 2019 under a prior director and now seeks council authorization for the renewal. "Our consortium membership gives us an 83% discount rate on telecommunications," Harrison said. "Our total monthly subsidized costs using this consortium and the E-rate program gives us $176.91 is what we pay monthly, to get this fast speed of Internet through this consortium."

A motion to approve the renewal passed on a unanimous roll call. No council member opposed; the city manager and library director answered technical questions from the council during the presentation, including a comparison point that a single 1-gigabit connection to another local public entity costs about $1,100 per month.

The renewed letter of agency would run from funding year 2024 through 2035; the council's approval authorizes the mayor to sign the required documents so the library can continue participating in the E-Rate program through the consortium.