Lightpath has struck a chord with the education vertical segment, connecting over 65 New Jersey schools to its fiber network thanks to its involvement in a purchasing cooperative created via the New Jersey Department of Education's Digital Readiness for Learning and Assessment Project (DRLAP).
According to the New Jersey Department of Education, Lightpath is one of just seven service providers selected by the cooperative to sell broadband services to K-12 schools in New Jersey and has connected more than 40 percent of the schools participating in the program.
Administered by the Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission (MRESC), the purchasing cooperative has been in place for about a year. MRESC noted that an independent evaluation revealed that Lightpath's voice service was rated higher than any of the additional seven providers responding to a competitive RFP.
While reducing communications costs by using an alternative provider like Lightpath is a key focus for the NJ-based schools, they are also finding the Ethernet-based services are a good foundation for online curriculums, support distance learning, and increasing parental involvement and connecting facilities.
One of the elements that will also continue to make Lightpath a viable option for New Jersey-based schools is its fiber network. The service provider's network is currently connected to over 7,000 buildings. By continuing to grow their fiber-enabled buildings, Lightpath can more effectively respond to inquiries for Ethernet and IP-based voice service requests.
Lightpath's work with the cooperative is paying off, with Ethernet-based data being only one of various services it can provide to schools. In addition to providing fiber-based Ethernet data services, the DLRAP cooperative named Lightpath as a preferred hosted phone service provider.
Within its voice service portfolio, local schools can also take advantage of its Firebar service, which can be used during a crisis to quickly set up an emergency audio conference by dialing a single phone number, for example.
For more:
- see the release
Related articles:
Altice builds U.S. business services foothold with $17.7B Cablevision acquisition
Lightpath surpasses 7,000 on-net building milestone in New York metro area
Cablevision's Lightpath launches Firebar service for 'business continuity and disaster recovery'
Cablevision has 6K buildings connected to Lightpath network
Cablevision, Comcast sell Ethernet connections to community colleges