Your Guide to Fibre Broadband for Schools

Source: Pexels.com

Over a decade after the New Zealand government launched its Ultra-fast Broadband programme, some citizens still grapple with broadband access issues. The reasons are plentiful, ranging from cost to low digital literacy. Luckily, the government has launched several initiatives in answer to the problem.

One of the solutions the government has implemented is extending fibre broadband for schools to their surrounding communities. This initiative has enabled students and non-students who don't have the luxury of home fibre broadband to use it beyond the school's gates. At the same time, schools have become digital hubs for their respective communities.

This article discusses the initiative, including how it works, who is participating, and schemes that are like it.

The School Digital Hub Initiative Explained

In early 2014, the then Associate Education Minister, Nikki Kaye, announced a government initiative that made it possible for schools with fibre broadband to share their fibre connections with their local communities. The announcement came in the form of a release posted on the government's official website titled "School Digital Hubs Now Possible."

Eligible schools with ultra-fast broadband have a choice of two models to operate under. 

Under the first, school boards can grant access to the school's network via an "extended school Wide Area Network" (WAN). The arrangement would let students and teachers use the school's network beyond its boundaries.

In contrast, the second model would see the schools operate as community internet hubs. Under this model, the board would share the school's fibre connection with a retail service provider (RSP). The RSP would go on to provide a commercial public internet service within the community using the school's fibre infrastructure.

The Ministry of Education intended the initiative to provide opportunities for communities that can't afford internet access, rural communities, and community members besides students, teachers, or school admins.

Both models would give communities access to reliable internet.

Schools that wish to participate in the scheme can find guidelines on the Ministry's website. In addition, they can seek the Ministry's assistance for the transition to digital hub status, as the Ministry provides outside expertise.

Before announcing this initiative, the government had increased the funding earmarked for broadband roll-out in New Zealand schools. The funds let schools get access to a managed network with network security services, uncapped data, fast internet, and content filtering.

One such initiative was arranged by Network for Learning (which we discuss below).

How It Works

Source: Pexels.com

The government's school digital hub initiative worked as follows:

• The Ministry of Education would contract a wholesale supplier like Chorus to set up the school's broadband. 
• The broadband supplier would own the infrastructure it supplied.
• The school would be deemed the first tenant of the supplied fibre network. That status meant it could grant usage access to third parties and the community at large.
• Although the Education Act excluded schools from operating services to the public within school premises, the initiative worked around that provision. The school would grant consent to the fibre company to let internet service providers use the network and sell internet access to the community. (Applicable to the second model mentioned above)

Through the above-described arrangement, many opportunities arose, including the ability for schools to provide digital literacy educational courses for adults. Also, everyone in a community where fibre is available could take advantage.

Notable Participants and Related Initiatives

The following companies participated in this government initiative:

Chorus

Chorus is a fibre company that spearheaded the government's Ultra-fast Broadband scheme (completed in 2022). The company aimed to set up 98% of New Zealand schools with fibre broadband by 2016. Once connected, the schools would enjoy speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

Since it was already in the middle of the UFB scheme, setting up schools encompassed part of its work. However, in remote and rural areas, the company had to go the extra mile by digging trenches and laying cables.

After laying the fibre to the school's gate, the school could either turn to Network for Learning or a broadband provider for its internet service needs. When the school placed the order, Chorus would send its technicians over for a site visit to determine how to get fibre from the gate to the classroom.

Enable Fibre Broadband

In 2020, Enable fibre broadband launched an initiative to provide fibre broadband to digitally excluded school children in Christchurch. Its free wholesale fibre broadband service is a partnership with the Ministry of Education and would target families the Ministry identified as needing broadband. 

By Enable's estimate, up to 2,000 of its existing fibre connections aren't being used. The initiative would benefit school students. 

The service was free for six months as long as the connection was set up before the 31st of May 2020 and provided download speeds of up to 200 Mbps. It had high-quality broadband speeds to accommodate tasks like video conferences, document uploads, and real-time collaboration between students.

Network for Learning

Network for Learning (N4L) provides managed network services aimed at state and state-integrated schools in New Zealand. Its broadband is fast, uncapped, and, among other features, provides content filtering.

The organisation has a digital inclusion drive aimed at school children in Aotearoa. It estimates that 145,000 students live without internet access in their homes.

Thus, it has partnered with the Ministry of Education and other government agencies to rectify the issue. This company is crown-owned and boasts 850,000 network users and over 2,450 schools.

Conclusion

The Crown's school digital hub scheme is one of the best methods it has created to fight digital exclusion and New Zealander's internet access issues. Courtesy of the initiative, no child will fall behind their peers due to a lack of internet access in their home. 

In addition, the drive will provide community members with much-needed access to broadband that can help them improve their digital literacy.