Architecture and Costs of Connecting Schools to the NII

Mr. Russell I. Rothstein and Dr. Lee McKnight
T.H.E. Journal, Vol. 23, No. 3, October 1995, p. 91-96

The article discusses four types of costs: hardware, training, support, and retrofitting. Software costs have been excluded, although the authors note that such an analysis is needed. The four different technology models discussed are: single PC dialup; LAN with shared modem; LAN with router; and LAN with local server and dedicated line, which is the preferred strategy. The conclusions are: 1) the costs to network a school are complex; 2) network hardware costs are only a small fraction of the overall costs; 3) there are two major cost jumps to network a school - when the LAN is installed and when computers are purchased; 4) startup costs for the network increase at a faster rate than the annual ongoing costs as the network complexity increases; 5) costs are significantly reduced when aggregated at the district and state levels; and 6) education initiatives of telephone and cable companies will have a small impact on the total costs to schools.

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Howard J. Bender, Ph.D.
President
The Education Process Improvement Center, Inc.
P.O. Box 186
Riverdale, Maryland 20738
hjbender@epicent.com