Sixth Annual School Networking Infrastructure Survey

Increased investment from the E-rate program’s modernization is helping to improve school Wi-Fi and broadband connectivity. 69 percent of school system leaders are “very confident” in their wireless network’s ability to support one device per student. Ninety-two percent of school systems are meeting the Federal Communications Commission’s short-term goal of broadband connectivity (100 Mbps per 1,000 students in a district), as well as making strides in the FCC’s long-term goals. School districts are still facing significant infrastructure challenges. Due to minimal broadband competition, many rural school districts do not have affordable broadband access. Fewer than 10 percent of districts nationwide report that every student has access to non-shared devices at home, limiting their ability to complete homework assignments outside of school – i.e., the “homework gap.” Furthermore, cybersecurity is a top challenge for technology leaders, and only 12 percent of districts have a dedicated network security employee to address cyber-threats. Additional findings:

• Broadband Momentum – Complementing the short-term gains, this year, more than one-third of districts achieved the FCC’s long-term goal of 1 Gbps per 1,000 students for all schools – up nearly 100 percent from last year.
• The Cost Barrier – Costs of monthly-recurring, ongoing expenses continue to top the list of barriers to increased district connectivity. However, just 50 percent of respondents cited recurring cost as a top barrier, making 2018 the first year in the survey’s history that ongoing connectivity costs did not get named by a majority of respondents as a major hurdle. What’s more: Three-quarters of districts report paying less than $5 per Mbps for their internet – compared to 60 percent in 2017.
• Omnipresence of Cybersecurity – More than one-third of districts allocates 10 percent or more of their technology budget to network security. A majority of districts (52 percent) indicated that they are proactive or very proactive in maintaining their network security. Meanwhile, 23 percent of respondents report their districts are reactive or very reactive.