Every Arkansas Public School to Have High-Speed Internet This Fall

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A project to implement high-speed internet at every Arkansas school is expected to be complete in time for the new school year.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2t9laBq) reports that Arkansas will be one of a handful of states that guarantees high-speed internet at every school. The state is running fiber-optic cables from the Ozarks to the Delta to serve all of its nearly 477,300 students.

The accomplishment is the result of an Arkansas Department of Information Systems project involving more than 20 telecommunications companies. The Federal Communications Commission largely funds the project through the federal E-Rate program.

The program was revamped in 2014 when the FCC increased its budget by $1.5 billion to $3.9 billion yearly.

According to a 2016 report, just five states boasted 100 percent connectivity under the 100 kbps per student federal standard. Those states are Hawaii, Kentucky, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wyoming.

Of those, only Hawaii and Kentucky are using all fiber-optic cables, which can handle much faster speeds than antiquated copper wiring can.

This year, Arkansas will also boast 200 kbps per student connections — double the national standard — on all fiber-optic connections. The fiber-optic lines and network equipment purchased by the state can handle 1,000 kbps per student without replacement.

California-based EducationSuperHighway founder Evan Marwell says the move led to increased participation nationwide, but that Arkansas began earlier and improved more than most.

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