Hidden
- Emergency Connectivity Fund Update
- REMEMBER THIS IS JUST THE DRAFT, THERE COULD BE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES ANNOUNCED ON MAY 10TH
- Last Friday the FCC took the unusual step of releasing a draft of the new rules. Although the final rules are due to be issued on May 10th, the draft version gives us the opportunity to prepare for this new program. The draft list of eligible products and services are on pages 82-84.
- Eligible equipment: Wi-Fi hotspots • Modems (e.g., air cards) • Routers • Devices that combine a modem and router • Connected devices (laptop computers and tablet computers) that are not used on school property.
- Eligible service: Cable Modem • Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) • Leased Lit Fiber (e.g., fiber to the home or to the premises) • Satellite • Wireless (e.g., fixed wireless, microwave, or mobile broadband). That is not used on school property. (Hotspots on Busses should be eligible)
- Looks like the FCC 471 form will be used to request equipment, and the BEAR 472 form will be used for reimbursement.
- Equipment and services purchased between 7/1/2020 - 6/30/2030 or until 7.2 Billion runs out.
- Can not use if other federal disaster relief funds (CARES Act)
- Chromebooks/Laptop eligible only if the purchase was due to the pandemic, not just to replace existing equipment.
- Pam says funding is not guaranteed. If demand is high, funding may work like the old Cat 2 funding, Funding the highest free/reduced schools first.
- Brainstorm now offers “Attendee Viewer Pass” for $50 to watch all recorded sessions from this spring's Brainstorm Conference.
- Chromebooks ordered from HP
- Greene County is going to do some live streaming
- There is a shortage of Wireless Access Points due to a semiconductor shortage.
- Urbandale New and decommissioning buildings.
- Inhouse Phone system with FreePBX
14:31:10 Well, welcome to part two of our may 4 technology check in here on it, and we'll go ahead and proceed with the rest of our agenda on it. 14:31:21 I know a lot of people are here about the post that the draft version of the emergency connectivity fund has been released and questions on that particular part I did talk to Pam Jacobs a little bit earlier today, and she was very hesitant make sure that 14:31:43 this draft could change substantially from what actually is announced. 14:31:48 Pam dance agreed to meet with us next that our next meeting or meeting next week on Thursday at two, and we'll have, you know, to give us all the details of what what is the official version setup for that announcement should be on May 10, and may 14 14:32:04 will be our next tech tech meeting on it so if you want to come back to that will have the bigger details on it, but for the most part of it. If you haven't had a chance to look look through it. 14:32:15 Eligible equipment includes Wi Fi hotspots modems routers and connected devices laptops and computers desktops are not do not qualify, and that they are not used on school property so you can't use it too. 14:32:37 Well, and one of the things is you can't use it to refresh equipment so one of the things that Pam said is that, you know, if you were going to be refreshing your Chromebooks. 14:32:47 And this is designed for emergency use so if you had an elementary elementary students that did not have Chromebooks you had to buy Chromebooks for their at home use on it. 14:32:58 That would be covered. If the elementary students already had Chromebooks, and you're just looking at refreshing it because it's part of the part of it, it doesn't look like that will be covered from least from the draft standpoint, they're not expecting 14:33:11 that part of it will change. 14:33:16 Services cable modems DSL lines lit fiber satellite wireless. I'll have to deal with connectivity to the home. Again, it's nothing that you can use inside the school. 14:33:31 But they did talk about one of the things that they do expect will be on there is like hotspots to put on buses you know so if you had your cookie devices or whatever, and wanted to put, you know, access points on on school buses or if there were even 14:33:48 places in town that you wanted to set up a parking lots, or whatever, places that you could provide for that that you could do on it, so. 14:33:59 Currently, the other, other bullet items is the draft is for items purchased between July 1 2020, and June 30 2030 is what I read on it. But there's a lot of contention they're taking comments right now. 14:34:16 There's a lot of comments about all the equipment that was purchased between March in July. 14:34:21 So there that could be that could change a little bit on it as well. 14:34:27 If also you can't double dip on equipment. So if you use cares act to pay for part of a device you cannot use the emergence of connectivity funds as well. 14:34:38 On top of that part of it so one or, you know, the one federal program for that part of it. 14:34:48 And then also, 7.2 billion was signed, assigned to it, but they are kind of concerned that if it all gets used right away it very well could go back to like the original category to erase funding on it, that they will start funding from the schools with 14:35:06 the highest free reduced lunch rates and work their way down and Pam was mentioning something about some studies were showing that, that if you weren't at least at a 70% discount on your free reduced lunch. 14:35:19 If they didn't put caps on it or provide discounts on it that that might not be available to all schools as well, depending on you know a lot of it has all how the rules are going to be working what's eligible what's not on on that particular part of 14:35:33 of it so. 14:35:36 The other thing that it said is that you'll apply for it through the SEC forum for 71, and that you'll use the bear form the FCC forum for 72 for reimbursement. 14:35:50 You know Pam's expecting that they will have to change the, you know, it might be like a cat three on the radar, there'll be a separate for 71 for this part of it, and that there will not be an option of a vendor discounts applied to it so it's always 14:36:05 going to be the school have to make the purchase and use the bear form that setup for it so that's the tentative information. Anyone have comments. 14:36:18 That's a whole bunch of money if they're just emergency funding yet not purchasing replacements. 14:36:26 Yeah. And when I was when I was scanning through it, that I mean the one thing I wasn't expecting is that they said that the term is for 10 years, so 2030 years you know what they would play into having a having an open for. 14:36:40 I'm sure they'll be some clarifications on that as well on it but it's like a one time deal then kind of because I mean, for example, we went one to one immediately and sent stuff home with kids so people who didn't have them before we bought them for 14:36:56 but from now on it's just replacement. 14:37:01 And it sounds like your initial purchase based on the way it says would be covered under that but since I've been one to one for. I mean, 11 years now or whatever mine, my new refresh which I was hoping to cover under this wouldn't be so. 14:37:13 Yeah. 14:37:15 Once I can make an excuse for why we have to do iPad because of student learning or something like that. 14:37:20 I could make an excuse for why we have to do iPad because of student learning or something like that. Yeah, I expect if you had maybe had to do the refresher early because of it as well. Possibly. Yeah. 14:37:27 Just shut your program off for six months and then restart it back up and it's. I like that idea I'm glad you're here. 14:37:37 Then it's not a refresh. Right, I'm in. 14:37:39 We're turning it off over the summer and restarting it next year. 14:37:42 Yeah, that's disappointing. I was, I was thinking that it was really going to help us fund that stuff and it was going to put all my back of the parts. 14:37:54 And then, by the way. 14:37:54 I could do that I stole my cards. 14:37:58 Yeah, that'd be an idea. 14:38:01 Oh, and the other thing that Pam said is that, that, that they're discussing them because the way the draft reads right now is that there might only be a limited window to do the past purchases on it so it might be, you know, it's so, so the window would 14:38:21 be set up so if they don't know for sure but I mean that that that's what's coming up on conversations on it, but there might be like a certain window for things that you purchased pre may 10 or July 1 2021, depending on how they how they roll that part 14:38:36 of it out So, but, you know, again, is just preliminary information on it, it live can change between now and the 10th when they officially roll it out as well. 14:39:02 And they go live date is what 14:38:57 I, I know the rules will be announced may 10 and I'm suspecting that is July 1 is when the when the funds will be available on it, they're going to have to it's going to take him time to retool whatever interface, you're going to use for how to fill out 14:39:12 the form for 71, and the, The bear form Pam doesn't expect to change. But the one thing that will change because of it is is there's a lot of schools that haven't ever had to use a better form for reimbursement on it so there'll be a lot of, I guess the 14:39:29 forum for 98 each school, if they haven't filled a form for 98 with their business office so they, you know, redirect the money with the schools checking account and stuff on it. 14:39:38 That has to go through that and then, you know, they'll have to get their pin set up for their bear for the, you have to fill out the airport and stuff on it so there'll be some legwork on the school side of it I'm sure that, and that'll all those will 14:39:52 have to be done before, before they roll it out, which is, you know, if it's July 1 it might be the case arm so. 14:40:04 All right. Any other questions or comments or on on the, on that particular part of it. 14:40:10 I think that's kind of unfortunate there is that for, you know, a lot of schools The deadline to submit to the DMV what your purchases were going to be for from the first and second rounds of Esser that deadlines already passed so you can't turn around 14:40:27 and tell your business managers. Hey, you know don't pay for it you know these hot spots with that sir My name because we're going to be able to use this well it's, you know, it's too late tonight. 14:40:38 As soon as I saw this drop I told her not to put any money on the Astro money on any of our computer purchases until we got this thing hammered out, right. 14:40:46 Luckily we hadn't spent a bunch of ours yet so we'll be okay. But, and it may be one of those things like the extra money where they're just saying don't really tell us how you're spending it I mean say how you're spending it but don't give us too much 14:40:56 information because then we'll deny you which is pretty much what they told us so some of those things that are a little bit gray area may get past. Yeah. 14:41:08 If this ends up being that way. 14:41:08 Now, what I was talking with Pam I did bring that part of it up with her and she said, the one thing to make sure everyone knows is that the, the, the corresponding act that's guaranteed money, there's, you're going to get, get it no matter what, this 14:41:21 emergency connectivity fund is there's a, there's possibility you might not get funding on it. So, you know, it's kind of hedging your bets on that particular part as well. 14:41:37 So, 14:41:37 so it's like we have to apply, like we do with the raid and then we have to wait to hear. 14:41:45 Do you know what i was i was just kind of skim through the draft part of it for 71 and I fought for 70 to bear forms is how it was going to be reimbursed so yeah there is going to be an application process to apply for the equipment, and they're probably 14:41:59 going to be pam, pam said when they retool it'll probably be dropped downs on, what do you request and it'll be like, you know, wireless access points or, you know, the Chromebooks or, you know, computers and devices and stuff on it, and they'll have 14:42:18 a drop down selection on it, very similar probably to what we have on the right. That's going to drive a huge shortage I think of devices at the start of the school year as well when everyone gets approved the same time and puts in their orders, all the 14:42:24 the schools at the same time, that could be a nightmare. It's easier to turn up bandwidth over the summer than it is to get devices, sometimes. 14:42:33 Yeah, that's a really good point. 14:42:35 especially with with law schools, just getting Chromebooks that they ordered last year yeah for last year school year and stuff on it, so. 14:42:49 All right. Any other questions or comments on on that. 14:42:58 Alrighty, uh, the only other thing I had from the that I just happened to get an email message from the brainstorm steering committee that was out at the Wisconsin Dells is that there are now offering a attendee viewer past for $50. 14:43:16 So if you didn't make it to brainstorm you wanted to see some of the recorded sessions. And there's over 100 sessions that are available to download and watch on it then. 14:43:25 And if you go back through the notes and do a search for brainstorm. You'll see that there is a have the notes that all of us from the sessions that we did so there was a lot of good sessions there that were kind of worthwhile doing and so $50 on a bad 14:43:38 a bad deal if you're if you want to interested in doing that so that's a possibility as well, so. 14:43:48 So, with that, we'll turn it over to our Roundtable, um, so anyone have any particular topics they want to bring up for discussion with the group. 14:44:07 Alright, if not I'll just kind of go through my list here Sarah anything going on with you. 14:44:11 I don't think I have anything new that's going on. 14:44:14 We ended up going with the same Chromebooks we bought for this year because we were worried about availability moving forward and unfortunately there's already stacked in my office so. 14:44:26 So we're a little bit ahead of the game but I guess that's a good thing because we have other things to do so, um, yeah. 14:44:37 That's about all I know. 14:44:36 Alright, sounds good. Thank you. Sorry, sorry, go ahead with what model. 14:44:44 I went with the same thing I bought this shoe the HPG 11, are they like gh or something like that was that the is that the, because I think the jeans are coming out. 14:44:53 but I tested one and man. 14:44:56 It didn't work with my a couple of my apps and it was you know and it was a prototype so maybe you know it just was dumb but I decided, these are these are good for six more years for Chrome updates. 14:45:09 I intend to use them for four or five, so I just decided to go with it. 14:45:17 They're a little sticky to open up. That's the worst part is to replace screens and them as a pain in the butt to because they're like taped all the way around, but we're getting better at it. 14:45:32 Okay. 14:45:32 Thank you Sarah. 14:45:37 What's going on with you. Not much. 14:45:40 Yeah, I'm getting ready to order Chromebooks and I got. 14:45:43 Let's see. 14:45:45 Six 610 I think is where we're at this summer as long as they're available hundred and 30 teacher Chromebooks and then 480 student Chromebooks. 14:45:54 Going to live stream our band concerts. 14:45:58 On Monday we do not have copyright licensing for the, the songs that we playing so my understanding is we can live stream but it cannot be archived. 14:46:10 So I think will be will be good on that but I had to follow up with a couple different people to find that out. 14:46:16 So that'll be the first time we actually do that. 14:46:20 And hopefully that goes well, just bought a core switch from Aruba, that we got get to funding approved on. 14:46:28 And I heard from the rep that access points are short, right now, so if you're looking to my access points, probably gonna lie, get in line for those soon anyway he was trying to put out a bunch of fires on that so hopefully I didn't make anyone upset 14:46:41 with that news but you might want to get that emotion if you can. 14:46:45 That's about all I got. 14:46:47 Is that is that just specifically that brand or access points all over the, he blamed it on semi conductor conductor shortage is what he said but he said he's got a lot of people that are bringing requesting them right now and he can't fill any orders. 14:47:02 So, surely out of curiosity are those em gag are those one big mix and are they Wi Fi six. I don't know Hi, I'm good with with AP so I didn't even inquire I said that's unfortunately but but we bought all ours last summer so I feel good about that purchase 14:47:26 but good question. I'm sure he doesn't information right. 14:47:27 Well, thank you, Brad. 14:47:30 Um, so I'll probably have a few people on the spot who haven't been in here so Cameron what's been going on in your area. 14:47:38 Well, I'm not in any school district. So, I will not be buying Chromebooks, but I was just popping into kind of good just popped up in my email and I noticed this I thought I'd jump in and it's funny because I saw John's on here so I'm just here to harass 14:47:51 harass john. 14:47:54 No worries, no worries keep us all honest. Thank you. Thanks for joining. 14:47:59 Greg, how about you what's going on with you. 14:48:03 Summer projects nothing much new since last time so working on getting a Chromebooks and we, we got a bunch in will probably be ordering some more so I'm going to try to get that order and I don't care if I don't get them over the summer this next batch 14:48:15 we get 400, you know, a couple months ago so they're down 30 102 and ones is what their direction we're going, and then doing some staff Mac books got about 120 of those come in. 14:48:31 So, and probably some, some carts interactive flat panels and things like that doing more digital signage lot going on, nothing really new or different though so. 14:48:42 But Max, did you decide to go with Greg, or there's. We're on with yours. Yeah, we've been demo and I think I've got about a dozen right now. 14:48:53 So we really hit it hard with them but I'm kind of regretting I'm hearing what's coming in September and I don't know it's looking pretty promising with the new, you know the cabinet, they want with the m one and but they didn't change the chassis much 14:49:06 and now I guess they're going to revamp the chassis and go through the whole thing. So, are you running them ones. Yeah, having good, good luck with them, so far so good it's more big Sarah than it is we're having. 14:49:20 I mean, monkey and Big Sur and trying to right now our biggest problem is trying to find things that work across the whole gamut of versions of Mac OS that we have so we're hoping to get that narrowed it down so that we can focus on Big Sur and some of 14:49:34 of the printer driver issues and things we're struggling with, I was actually just going to ask you how you figured the printer, so we went completely PC and we're looking to go back to Mac for some of our staff members because they're just, they're not, 14:49:45 it's just not working for him our devices suck that we got. Unfortunately, so I'm looking at the Mac thing is why I was inquiring. Okay, yeah, watch your watch your printer drivers a big circle, especially if you're using some kind of MDM on them, trying 14:50:00 to find that balance is tough. So 14:50:04 that's about it, Scott. 14:50:07 Alright, well Thanks Greg for the update on it. 14:50:11 I'm john, let me turn it over to you hear anything going on in what's going on in your area. Nothing, a whole lot down here just hopping and trying to get all the information I can about the emergency act so I can make the decisions you know going forward 14:50:24 with that and thought I'd pop into another areas meeting and see how they're how they're done because I'm always looking for ideas of what we can bring back home. 14:50:32 I honestly like this spot that you're just asking people what's going on because that's a, that's actually more powerful than stuff we do down in our area, but nothing much honestly. 14:50:42 All right. Well thanks for the update and thanks for joining you're more than welcome to join anytime so more people we have in the group, the better information we have to share I'm sure so. 14:50:53 So Jake you're next on the list here, anything going on with you. 14:50:59 Bye bye. 14:51:02 Well, the laptop replacements. 14:51:09 Maybe 12 minutes or so, just kind of a cycle, black screen touchscreen resides. I do have an in preschool. 14:51:38 Third, classroom preschool, next to the output that none other than the normal guacamole and got it set up but have some things I learned. 14:51:39 Probably. 14:51:39 Probably try to get obviously Citibank single sign on the table, working. So that's about it. 14:51:56 Hi. Thank you, Jay. 14:51:52 Um, I guess next person I have on my list is Jeremy, how are you doing today, anything you have 14:51:59 a. Yeah, so I can speak 14:52:04 for Josh as well. 14:52:06 He can find you. We're, we're co workers that Urbandale. 14:52:10 So we got we've got a busy summer ahead of us. We've got a school that we were coming up on construction for finishing the construction on the gut open up and at the same time we've got to take a building offline and move, and then take another building 14:52:27 and move them into the new buildings like this building and move it into this building right a salvage what we can for parts let me save money and so there's, there's all that going on. 14:52:39 And all the new hardware that's going to go on there we've got a with a, with bringing that stuff online we've got some new we're going to try a Roomba at our new building and we've been extreme shop for many years. 14:52:53 So theoretically our AP shift today. 14:52:56 So, hopefully we don't get caught by the AP shortage, and we're going to new core router to the core router coming in, so that hopefully ship today too. 14:53:08 So we've been watching the shipments here and all the horror stories are like hope doesn't keep getting delayed. 14:53:15 On that we've got some Dell well thousand dollar Chromebooks coming in the summer. 14:53:21 And then just general cleanup parts and shuffling things around. 14:53:26 What model to get on the Dells Jeremy 3100s. 14:53:31 It's what we use that we tested against that we had we got those a lot of fear. 14:53:36 We test a CTI model and think was an Acer model infidels were easier to repair price was good, they were available, which was a when we could get parts for him. 14:53:53 So just Long Term Life costs, no maintenance, we doing all right now. you're doing all the two and once again. 14:54:02 Yep. Okay. 14:54:04 Yep, all our models or two in one. 14:54:09 Same chrome Chromebook that that I went with that so that's what I replaced all ours with as well. 14:54:16 So, didn't go with the, We didn't do any style says we asked teachers, they thought that'd be helpful and they said no thank you. We didn't same year, we 14:54:29 should be pretty quiet summer. 14:54:33 Well cool thank you for the update on it. 14:54:36 I'm Jason. 14:54:37 How about what's going on with you. 14:54:48 Um, I don't have a whole lot this week I kind of focused on that, you know, in the school coming up, but all that, you know, your tiara you know there's not a whole lot. 14:54:50 My other stuff I've been getting some tickets and doing some things but I don't really have a whole lot to share this week. 14:54:58 No, I don't. Thanks for the update, Mac, I'll turn it over to you what's going on in your area. That's all you're actually do it this way. 14:55:11 You're muted it, or you just purchased a new phone system. 14:55:14 So, 14:55:17 so we're doing in house phone system with free PBX. 14:55:22 Hopefully that doesn't fail, never done one before so we're by in about 200 phones. 14:55:30 So, those are shipping today and will be here next week, same time. 14:55:34 So we're gonna work on that. 14:55:36 Other than that, not much. 14:55:39 All right. Well I think we'd appreciate it if you would check in with us some other time if you haven't set it up I know I think Ammons Berg is looking at a similar solution as well. 14:55:50 I'm not sure what they chose on it but I'm sure that other people would like to hear your experience with that. Yeah, we're going to use media comms void. 14:56:00 So, with free PBX installed here locally. 14:56:03 Are you running like, what do you run sangoma phones or what do you have an S 505, and four sixes. Okay, yeah, I've used some of those guys oh, we I've put a smaller we we manage a daycare center here in town and I put a free PBX system I was saying go 14:56:22 on the phones and it's just, I don't touch it, I put it in probably three years ago and it just works. So, you did that presentation a few years back. 14:56:30 Yeah. Okay, yeah. 14:56:32 Okay, yeah. Okay, yeah, it's been great. I mean I honestly I don't think I've touched the system since I did that presentation, it's just worked really well for us. 14:56:40 So we've got three Panasonic systems that are mesh together and it's just a nightmare to manage them all individually so we're a school that's just a football field away from each other so it's easier just to do one system one network. 14:56:57 So, we've been wanting to switch for a few years now. 14:56:59 Yeah, keep us in the loop on that. be good to hear how it goes. 14:57:04 Thank you guys. Yep. Thank you, Mark. How about what's going on with you. 14:57:14 Yeah, so we're just getting ready, you know, spring, kind of gap time getting ready for summer purchases. 14:57:22 Next week or so, our iPad lease is up so we'll be spending all our energy collecting 1700 iPads from all the kiddos and getting them processed and shipped back, and then waiting out our time for new iPads and the High School, for whatever reason, decided 14:57:42 they were doing Chromebooks this year so we'll have our first batch of Chromebooks at the high school. 14:57:48 So, we're gearing up to fix lots of broken stuff. 14:57:56 But other than that, that's kind of where we're at. 14:58:01 All right. 14:58:03 Thanks for the update on that. 14:58:06 I think Landon, are you probably the last one here. 14:58:10 Give you a little bit of time to recover after your first presentation here. 14:58:18 We ordered several hundred Chromebooks this year and they we ordered them on October 8 and they just arrived today so I'm really pleased with that. I think we time that well made me nervous but, 14:58:32 yeah, so we're starting to go through those which is just nice this early in the summer. 14:58:37 Other than that, placed my order I went with 829 30 EMS with a Roomba with thousand 50 watt power supplies, replacing some of our switches in the elementary he's just really trying to get as big a mini power supply says in those things as possible I feel 14:58:57 feel like we keep adding more and more devices that are needing more power, including the new AP is that we put in at the high school at half past about double the wattage as you guys know, I mentioned that a couple times now so. 14:59:14 Other than that, we've got ruckus t 610, which are the basically their outdoor a piece going in over in the baseball, softball fields, we've traditionally, I put in a bridge between the bus barn and the baseball, softball fields and then just an indoor 14:59:33 AP, and that's fine but I'm looking for a little bit further coverage so decided to go ahead and put those in. 14:59:43 We just finished. Getting fiber over to the transportation building. 14:59:49 I'm waiting on a bi di media connector to get that building live. 14:59:57 We've got Midwest alarm just finished the door access system over there this week so that's coming along pretty well, like some of you, we've got building switching So for us, every teacher preschool through fifth grade is in a different room next year. 15:00:15 So it's it's a nightmare. 15:00:18 And that's because we're switching up, or we have great like buildings, so we have you know seven, seven sections of kindergarten seven sections of first grade. 15:00:29 And at one of our elementary is which has historically been preschool through first grade, it's now outgrown that capacity. So they've doubled the real estate and one of our other Elementary, and they're taking first grade, out of that building and then 15:00:45 then shifting everybody. So, we're gearing up for all of that fun, lot of technology shifting and then teachers are freaking out well. I had a premium board in this room I better not go back to the SMART Board in this room I'm going to be mad you know 15:01:07 Other than that things are going really well, I'm gearing down and working on a transition plan for Brian rough who's the image Berg tech directors coming in to take over Spencer and I'm going down to a tumbler, so be down in john areas Johns Johns area 15:01:23 I guess so. 15:01:32 And not too far from Josh. So anyways, I'm looking forward to that but yeah just kind of working on will have two weeks of overlap which is really nice. 15:01:36 I didn't have that coming here and I like that really helps that the next person up for success and less than that, when there's a transition there so you might see both of us popping on here in less than a month. 15:01:50 So, I hope you'll keep coming sometimes landed expertise you know about that but I can blow smoke, you got so much money to spend, you always know things. 15:02:02 Yeah, no, I don't know what I'm getting into at a time, are they better. 15:02:05 They better have money for the tech department so now but yeah so that's that's pretty much what we have going on. 15:02:14 We dropped. We dropped. 15:02:17 NET up and switch to go Guardian teacher. 15:02:22 So, we have that going on as well we'll see how that goes.