Frequently Asked Questions
Please send your question to Gary Bowers, gary.bowers@region10.org
Which school districts are members of the Wireless Internet Consortium?
Avalon ISD, Bells ISD, Bland ISD, Blue Ridge ISD, Boles ISD, Caddo Mills ISD, Campbell ISD, Canton ISD, Celeste ISD, Collinsville ISD, Ector ISD, Farmersville ISD, Ferris ISD, Greenville ISD, Gunter ISD, Howe ISD, Italy ISD, Kaufman ISD, Kemp ISD, Leonard ISD, Mabank ISD, Melissa ISD, Milford ISD, Palmer ISD, The Phoenix School, Pottsboro ISD, Princeton ISD, Quinlan ISD, S & S Consolidated ISD, Terrell ISD, Tioga ISD, Tom Bean ISD, Trenton ISD, Van Alstyne ISD, Whitesboro ISD, Whitewright ISD, Wills Point ISD and Wolfe City ISD.
Will Region 10 continue to provide data and videoconference services?
Yes. The data and videoconference services will be available as separate services.
Data services include Help Desk, Firewall, DNS, Email, Web hosting, and IP addresses for $4,000 annually. Filtering is also available and will be invoiced separately.
Videoconference services include Help Desk, Scheduling, Bridging, On-site technician, Access to TETN & Internet2 networks, ISDN service, consulting and training for $4,500 annually. These services will be invoiced by Region 10 separately and in addition to the cost of the wireless Internet service. For more information on videoconference services and fees click here.
When will the school district members of the Wireless Internet Consortium be invoiced each year?
Region 10, the consortium fiscal agent, will invoice for Internet service annually in September. The amount invoiced may change year to year since it is based on each school district's E-rate discount, which is calculated using the district's student Free and Reduce Lunch count reported to PEIMS.
Will the wireless network service be built with some capability for growth, if so how much?
The wireless network is built with the capacity to potentially scale up to 40 Mbps with a software upgrade to the microwave radio. Any increase in service would also incur an additional fee for the service.
A larger increase may require changing a microwave radio if demands exceeded 300 Mbps on one ring. In the future, Internet bandwidth could be provided up to 100 Mbps.
Will school districts that are in the Wireless internet Consortium continue to use the IP numbers provided by Region 10?
Yes, districts can continue to use the IP numbers provided by Region 10 as a member of the Wireless Internet Consortium.
What are the specifics on the quality of the wireless wide area network, such as packet loss, latency, and jitter?
The wireless network is carrier class with low latency, packet loss and jitter with Quality of Service as a standard part of the network. Since it is designed for real-time applications like VoIP and videoconferencing, there is zero packet loss, latency of normally 5 milliseconds but not over 10 milliseconds and jitter of 10 milliseconds or less.
Depending on the telecommunications provider, the Service Level Agreement for packet loss is less than 1%, and latency less than 30 milliseconds for round-trip transmissions.
Can the wireless network service be interrupted by environmental conditions like rain and snow?
The network is designed for the weather conditions in North Texas. The service level agreement for network service is 99.99% up time. The microwave radios used for the wireless service are FCC licensed and designed so interference is normally not an issue. Occasional heavy rain (3.5 Inches of rain per hour or greater) can interrupt service for a few minutes., or a rare direct lighting strike can cause a loss of service until it is repaired, usually within four hours.
Can the wireless company use a tower at the district site for services to clients other than the consortium?
Yes. The telecommunications company providing the wireless Internet service is a common carrier regulated by the FCC and therefore has to offer services to other clients. For instance, if a cellular telephone company needed a tower at that location, the wireless company could negotiate to provide a tower, but would only provide services if the school district approved an agreement that provided monthly revenue to the district, since the tower is on the district’s land.
Will the district retain any rights to the tower after the seven year term?
A district does not have any ownership of the tower since it is used to provide telecommunication services. If the district does not continue with the service after the first seven year consortium agreement then the district may be paid a fee for using the tower on their land; or, the tower may be removed upon request. The tower cannot be sold to the district due to restrictions placed on the telecommunications provider by the FCC Universal Service Administration Company.
What is insurance coverage on the pole located at our district?
Conterra Ultra Broadband is a telecommunications common carrier registered with the FCC. They have $1,000,000 of general liability insurance with a $15,000,000 umbrella policy that covers the pole at your site.
What is the installation process for the wireless Internet service?
The installation of the wireless network was completed December 15, 2009
by Conterra Ultra Broadband. The project was built in three phases starting with districts in the north and moving south. The installation process included the microwave equipment install a day or two after the pole is in place. A technician mounts the microwave radios; runs the cable underground to the building; drills an entry into the building; runs a cable through the ceiling; and installs the equipment in the rack provided by the district or on a wall mount rack.
Next, a Quality Control inspector checks the installation; a final alignment is peformed on the microwave radios; and then a five day burn-in and testing occurs.
Then, a Region 10 techniciain installs an Adtran 3430 router between Conterra's network router and the district's router. This allows Region 10 to monitor the Layer 3 network and provide data services. The Adtran router is most often placed in a district rack with UPS, next to or near the Conterra's network equipment. Here is the spec sheet on the Adtran 3430 router.
Finally, district staff schedules a date to cut over to the new 20 Mbps service.