Request for Information

School Internet Service Increase Cost Estimate

The Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) administers the School Broadband Assistance Grants (BAG) program which provides state funding to schools currently receiving federal E-Rate funding additional state support to reach 25 Mbps download speeds. Access to internet services in Alaska is critical to education. DEED is seeking internet service industry providers to assist the department in estimating the cost to increase download speeds to 100 Mbps.

The Alaska School Broadband Assistance Grant (BAG) program was created to assist schools to increase internet download speeds. Established in 2014 by the Alaska State Legislature, the intent of this grant was to help schools to reach download speeds of 10 Mbps. In 2020, the State Legislature revised the statute to help schools reach 25 Mbps download speeds. The Department of Education and Early Development is seeking input from the internet service industry to estimate the projected funding needs for the School BAG program to help schools increase their internet download speeds from 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps.

• School BAG Awards by district are available from FY2019 to FY2023 on the School BAG website.
• A link to the E-Rate Form 471 Connectivity Information can be found here: E-Rate FCC Form 471 Download Tool .
• To view the list of schools in Alaska, please visit: Alaska School Database

Responses should provide estimates for increasing internet service download speeds from 25 to 100 Mbps through a narrative statement to include potential industry and pricing trends as well as a cost estimate on the spreadsheet attached to this RFI (Please note:  the max download speed should be 100 Mbps and should not include internet service rates for burstable internet packages).  From the provided list of school districts, respondents should use schools from these school districts to select schools as an example for their projections at the school connectivity level. Respondents should note that the information submitted may become available to the public so do not submit anything that is considered proprietary/trade secret. Responses should be kept concise and at a maximum of 2 pages in length.  DEED has provided a spreadsheet that will not count towards the respondent’s 2-page maximum. Note that the total cost of 100 Mbps should be reflected in column E, not just the additional funding needed to reach 100 Mbps. Respondents are not required to submit information about all school districts listed on the spreadsheet. Please do not include marketing materials or other non-essential information.

*Please see attachments*

Procurement Officer Contact Information:

Interested parties must submit a written response by Friday, January 12, at 3:00 p.m. AKST . Responses shall be sent via E-mail to Kathy Blomquist, Procurement Officer, at eed.procurement@alaska.gov .

Important:
This RFI does not extend any rights to prospective vendors or obligate the state to conduct a solicitation or purchase any goods or services, nor will the State be financially responsible for any costs associated with the preparation of any response for the requested information. This RFI is being issued for the sole purpose of obtaining information as described in this notice. However, the information obtained from this request may be used to prepare a purchase or solicitation in the future.