The School District of Philadelphia facilitates Internet connectivity for approximately 250 District-owned or operated school and administrative facilities that will support over 150,000 networked devices including student Chromebooks, computer labs, servers, peripherals, telephones and environmental and facility control systems, in the 2021-22 school year. The District’s current Internet Service Provider connections were originally sized based upon a projected 2:1 student-to-computer ratio through June 2023.

Brought about in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the assumption that by September 2021, the District will now be supporting a 1:1 student-to-computer ratio of Chromebooks in schools, there is a need to increase the total capacity of Internet bandwidth in/out of the District by approximately 100%. This request for amendment of contract will permit the District to double its Internet capacity with its incumbent service provider, Windstream Services, from 20Gbps to 40Gbps, to ensure a continued positive learning experience for students, teachers, and staff.

Upon approval from the Board of Education, the District will be eligible to apply for annual subsidies in FY22 and FY23 from the Federal Universal Service (E-Rate) program to support approximately 50% of the funding for the contract with Windstream Services. By agreeing to participate in the Universal Service program, Windstream Services is required by law to offer the Lowest Corresponding Price (LCP) for services that are otherwise made available to any similarly situated non-residential customer.