Sheryl,

The FCC provides a nice summary of the E-Rate Modernization Order (http://www.fcc.gov/page/summary-e-rate-modernization-order).  In it they reference library benchmarks:

With respect to libraries, the Order adopts as a bandwidth target the American Library Association's recommendation that all libraries that serve fewer than 50,000 people have broadband speeds of at least 100 Mbps and all libraries that serve 50,000 people or more have broadband speeds of at least 1 Gbps.

Salem-South Lyon, serving less than 50,000, is looking to surpass the 100 Mbps benchmark and will be going to 150 Mbps July.  Our performance goal is to be able to provide the fastest Wi-Fi Internet speeds in the community.  We went to local restaurants / coffee shops to see what patrons were receiving at other locations and what they would expect to see at the library.  In addition, we try to be attentive to when consumption is consistently topping out our bandwidth cap and adjust accordingly.


 
Garrett Hungerford, Assistant Director / Network Administrator

Salem-South Lyon District Library
9800 Pontiac Trail               
South Lyon, MI 48178
Phone: (248) 437-6431 - ext. 208
Fax: (248) 437-6593

ghungerford@ssldl.info
http://www.ssldl.info
 

On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 1:11 PM, Knox,Sheryl Cormicle <knoxs@cadl.org> wrote:

Looks like the E-Rate program is going to have more money available than ever before to subsidize broadband access. The FCC is poised to raise the cap another $1.5 billion/year, from 2.4 billion to 3.9 billion. And there’s another $2 billion in play for the next couple years form ‘leftovers’ and due to changes being made in the program. So $5.9 billion.

 

Those of us at the workshop at LM yesterday are ‘locked and loaded’ to make best use of that.

 

And it got me thinking about what is a good, target bandwidth to aspire to? Is there a formula?

 

The NYT article above about the cap increase references a ‘rule of thumb’ for schools in the near term  of “100MB of Internet bandwidth per 1,000 students” and in the longer term 1GB per 1,000 students.

 

Is anyone familiar with a similar ‘rule of thumb’ or benchmark for libraries?

 

Such a benchmark would have a lot of caveats, for sure. Maybe you have an internal performance goal for bandwidth to the patron desktop you’d like to share?

 

_____________________________________

Sheryl Cormicle Knox, Technology Director
Capital Area District Libraries – Administration

401 S. Capitol Avenue, Lansing, MI 48901-7919

517-367-6347 | knoxs@cadl.org

cadl.org

 

 


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