District hears Starlink/microwave broadband mock-up; staff warns of high upfront cost and technical hurdles

Mike Thomas (district technology presenter) outlined a technical sketch for extending internet access to student homes using a combination of Starlink terminals and district-owned microwave links. He said a realistic implementation would require site surveys, line-of-sight microwave hops, FCC licensing, microwave shelters, and trained staff to operate and maintain the network.

Thomas gave a ballpark per-student capital figure ("about $2,000 a student" for a Newcomb-scale deployment) and suggested the district would likely need grant or E-Rate funding for a project of that scope. He cautioned the board that Starlink alone does not necessarily reach all residences without multiple relay endpoints and that a fully owned ISP-style microwave backbone could cost millions.

Board members pressed on how many households currently have reliable internet and asked staff to pull registration data and produce an inventory of household connectivity and device access. Trustee Aspis emphasized that many students lack basic device familiarity and that any broadband plan should focus on student access first. Several trustees raised the potential for short-term pilots, use of E-Rate and state/911 infrastructure timelines to align upgrades.

Thomas said the district has a small existing microwave link connecting Shiprock to Nizhoni and TBA but would need stronger microwave units and possibly NTUA coordination for large-scale upgrades. He also noted a prior district that had tried Starlink for all students and found it financially unsustainable.

District staff agreed to pull existing registration and connectivity reports, to consult E-Rate experts at a conference the next day, and to return with cost scenarios and funding options.