January 1997 — Exclusive

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The Connected Schools of Belen, New Mexico: A Wireless Success Story

The Superintendent of Belen schools indicated he would like to see no-license radios with a range of 45 miles, so that they could reach a technical college south of Belen, as well as Albuquerque, 30 miles away. He is expected to express that "need'" by e-mail to the FCC, which is considering NPRM Docket 102-93, the NII/SUPERNET device rules for "community network"-capable radios. Since Belen schools are used all summer for continuing adult, as well as K-12 student education, the economics of the wireless, no-cost data links holds the glimmer of the possibility for broader "community networking."

Conclusions

Facilitated by their affordable, one-time cost, the no-license, T1 wireless radios have been the decisive ingredient in Belen School District achieving a district-wide network with speedy access to the Internet from all schools. It is laying down the foundation for advanced use of networks at every level at the schools, and is the beginning of community-wide access to both their schools and the Internet.

As detailed in my paper "The Case for Shared Wireless Spectrum" (May 6th, 1996), I have postulated that the 84,000 public schools in 16,000 school districts in the U.S. have four basic needs for no-license (or no-recurring-cost) wireless:

  1. Internal, to school buildings, wireless LANs. This is the least needed.
  2. Wireless high-data-rate links between the buildings of a school district. The greatest need.
  3. Wireless high-data-rate links between the central hub of a school district and the closest POP. A great need in rural towns.
  4. Wireless links, of at least 56Kbps, between students and teachers at home and their school -- as an access point to the Internet as well as access to school resources and communications.

The Belen School District, in its fulfilled needs as well as its unfulfilled needs, completely matches that model of needs. The FCC's rules for wireless should take those needs into account and satisfy them.

David Hughes is a Principal Investigator for the NSF. The Wireless Field Test for Education Project comprises two years of field tests on spread spectrum radios ("no license") in schools. E-mail: dave@oldcolo.com