Technology and Cost Models for Connecting K-12 Schools to the National Information Infrastructure. National Information Infrastructure White Papers.

Cost models representing equipment, services, software, and training needs are presented for evaluating the total cost of fully connecting K-12 schools to a national information infrastructure (NII). Analysis indicate that the baseline service required for connecting to the NII will cost $9.4 to $22.0 billion in one-time costs with annual maintenance costs of $1.8 billion to $4.6 billion or $212 to $501 in one-time installation costs and an ongoing annual cost of $40 to $105 per pupil respectively. Hardware is the most significant cost item for schools. PC expenditures represent most of the hardware costs, and costs for support of the network represent about one-third of all networking. Support and training together constitute 46 percent of the total costs of networking schools, and costs for telecommunications lines and services represent only 11 percent of the total costs. If all schools coordinate purchasing at the state level, cost savings will exceed $2 billion. If a nationwide program were instituted, potential savings would be $800 million to $1.8 billion. Free Internet connectivity would provide a reduction in total costs for school Internet connections between $150 million and $630 million. Financing for school networking remains to be adequately addressed. (Contains 13 references.) (GR)