JCSC addressing remote connectivity issues with datacasting

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For The Tribune

With the help of Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, work is underway in implementing solutions to Jennings County School Corp.’s remote learning challenges.

Superintendent Teresa Brown said IPBS radio station WTIU in Bloomington will assist the corporation in expanding access to remote learning through datacasting. SpectraRep, a provider of datacasting solutions, will also help carry out implementation.

“We are delighted to be among the first school districts in the nation to use educational datacasting,” Brown said.

Datacasting allows the transmission of educational content and resources to homes without internet connections that would normally be transmitted through interconnections, WTIU Marketing Director Laura Baich said. Datacasting is the process of creating wireless data networks by delivering computer data over a traditional broadcast signal.

“Datacasting will be provided to roughly 1,200 students in Jennings County who have little or no access to reliable broadband,” Baich said. “The project will begin as soon as possible with the goal of getting the WTIU datacasting signal live this fall.”

The collaboration is possible thanks to a $1.6 million grant from Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Emergency Education Relief and Economic Relief (GEER) fund, which was awarded to IPBS and JCSC on Aug. 20. The GEER Fund was created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act for the purpose of developing distanced learning techniques and technology.

Barbara Duke Sams, media representative for IPBS, the GEER grant provides for equipment that will enable WTIU to set up datacasting at its station. The grant also will provide receivers and antennas to households in Jennings County. The at-home equipment will pick up the signals from WTIU and relay them to inexpensive Chromebooks and tablets.

“The datacasting implementation in Jennings County will serve as a proof of concept that can be replicated in counties and school districts across Indiana,” IPBS Executive Director Mark Newman said in a news release. “It can be a game-changing technology for areas of the state where broadband is limited or unavailable.”

Following the expertise of JCSC Technology Director Josh Taylor, Brown and staff submitted applications for grants to assist in the expansion of internet connectivity and network access to JCSC students before the start of the school year. Their efforts led to the fifth-largest award of GEER funding in the state for schools K-12.

“When the pandemic hit, we knew we needed a sustainable, cost-effective solution to enable remote learning in the areas of our county where internet connections are challenging. Datacasting was the answer,” Brown said.

Last week, the state announced JCSC would receive $1,622,400 to assist in solving Jennings County’s connectivity issues. The grant provides $1,382,400 to assist in datacasting through the partnership with IPBS and an additional $240,000 for hot spot connectivity concerns.

Brown said the search for additional solutions to connectivity problems will continue.

“I am extremely grateful for our fabulous technology director, Josh Taylor,” she said. “Josh sets the standard for technology directors, and we are fortunate to have him in Jennings County. We want our kids to have every opportunity to be competitive in this world. Connectivity is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity.”

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