Plano ISD planning wifi network for lower income families

by PegNews wire

Perhaps to bridge their well known East/West gap, Plano ISD is considering a plan to blanket the city with a wireless internet network available to low-income families and students.

PISD says that students without internet access at home are at a disadvantage when compared to their higher income peers. If successful it would be one of the first wifi network of its kind in the U.S. However, the plan is rather expensive. The technology would be bought from California-based Meraki, who would need to install a $1500 antennae on the top of all schools and a $150 router in the homes of everyone who would receive access. According to Jim Hirsch, an associate superintendent, the district does not have money in the budget next year for the initiative, and might need help from sponsors and the Plano Education Foundation.

Posted by Erin

Staff
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Travis Bush, says:

There are better ways to do it that that!

http://www.proxim.com/ They use a mesh system, which is a lot cheaper.

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9 months ago
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Scot Walker, says:

If people can't afford $10 a month for Internet access, how can they afford the $600 computer that uses the Internet access?

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8 months, 3 weeks ago
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Pavel Lishin, says:

Donations, perhaps. Or maybe they bought an old system before they were "financially disadvantaged", and are surfing the web in Windows 95, trying to figure out what this 2.0 thing is.

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8 months, 3 weeks ago
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Jason Rice, says:

Trav - http://www.sveasoft.com/
$50 routers reflashed. The more in the net the better.

Scot - Lenovo has regular discounts getting laptops to $300. (And yes, you and I will pay for them anyway, so maybe we can at least push 'em to a bargain)

On the other hand, if Plano secedes, we might qualify for http://www.laptop.org

Pavel - heck, they'll let just anyone on the interwebs won't they. It's like a Greyhound Bus station any more - minus the pervasive stench of human urine.

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8 months, 3 weeks ago
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Travis Bush, says:

JRice down with OLPC? Word!

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8 months, 3 weeks ago
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Jason Rice, says:

Haven't had the social conscience to buy one (I have other charities that tend to trump) but I think this kind of effort might be the thing to get it moving outside the states.

Seriously - you get the yuppies (me) to pay for a few hundred and poof it's more than legit. Heluva way to set up a sister city, too, imho.