[Erate] FCC requesting data on Oregon Dark Fiber Networks!

[Carson, Sabrina]

In November, the FCC requested comment on the National Broadband Plan and e-Rate. The Oregon Department of Education crafted a response to this request after sending out a form to the field requesting their opinions on several points.

After reviewing all of the responses, the FCC has asked us (among others) to provide data regarding Dark Fiber costs and usage in our state. It is an informal request, but also has a VERY short timeline. We would like to provide as accurate and detailed of a response as possible, but only have a few days to pull it together. My hope is that because so many of you are working on getting bids for form 470's and also have recently completed applications for the Last Mile grant, that you may have either anecdotal or statistical data (or both) easily accessible and would be able to spend a few minutes forwarding the data to me. Ideally, the data would contain information about the costs, benefits, and challenges of establishing/maintaining a Dark Fiber network, both leased and owned. This is an extremely exciting opportunity for our voices to be heard, and the fact that they are explicitly ASKING for this information is extremely encouraging. We are not just looking for the best outcomes; we want to know about good AND bad experiences so that we can present a balanced perspective to the FCC. Please consider responding to this request if your schedule permits. It could be part of the catalyst for positive changes in the e-Rate program.

I have outlined some questions below to help you get a feel for what kinds of information would be most helpful.

Do you currently use a dark fiber network?
If not, what is the primary reason (cost, not enough demand, etc)?
If you do not own or lease a dark fiber WAN at this time, have you been quoted for one? If so, what was the quote amount?
Did e-Rate eligibility play a role in whether or not you purchased or leased a dark fiber WAN?
If you do use a dark fiber WAN, do you lease it or own it?
Why did you choose to lease rather than buy, or vice versa?
What positive affect did/would the installation of the network have for your district?
If you OWN the WAN, how much did it cost to install? What is the capacity? What are any recurring charges (pole charges and the like)?
If you LEASE the WAN, what is the monthly cost? What is the capacity? Do you ask for e-Rate support for this service?

Please feel free to include ANY and ALL information in addition to the above if you feel it is relevant. As always, please contact me with any questions. You can reply to this request in any format you like. Thanks again for your help on such short notice. :)


Sabrina Carson
e-Rate and Procurement Customer Support
Willamette Education Service District
2611 Pringle Rd SE
Salem, OR 97302
P: 503.540.4495
F: 503.540.2962

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/erate/attachments/20100128/588d2669/attachment.html>