School BAG (Broadband Assistance Grant)
Helping students by helping schools reach 10 Mbps.
Established in 2014 by the Alaska State Legislature, the School Broadband Assistance Grant (BAG) program was created to assist schools to reach internet download speeds of 10 Mbps. Grant funds may be used to cover eligible costs incurred by the school districts for their schools that have less than 10 Mbps download speeds each fiscal year.
Download our PDF infographic for print
- $2.7M awarded in 2017-18
- 26 districts received awards
- 105 schools reached 10 Mbps
Application
The School BAG grant application period is currently closed.
View last year's application spreadsheet to see how the process works.
Reporting
The FY2018 School Bradband Assistance Grant (BAG) Report was due on April 15, 2018. Please email your report to Janet Madsen.
Impact on Alaska's School Libraries
Access to the additional bandwidth provided by the School BAG Grant has allowed our staff and students to engage in online educational opportunities in a way that was not previously possible. Additionally, without the bandwidth provided by the School BAG grant, online student testing, including PEAKS, would probably not be feasible.Les Parks, Southwest Region School District
The School Broadband Assistance Grant, together with the Online with Libraries and E-Rate subsidy, has enabled our school district/public library consortium to maintain a 20 Mbps/7 Mbps shared connection. Without the BAG, our students' access to the learning opportunities delivered via broadband internet would be severely limited.John Conwell, Unalaska City School District
I would like to express my appreciation for the support YKSD has received through the Broadband Assistance Grant Program. YKSD has improved its broadband capacity considerably, all schools to 10 megabits has enabled our district to provide meaningful professional development and additional educational opportunities through the increased access connectivity. Leveraging BAG with the E-rate program has been one of the most valuable programs for YKSD. Thank you.Jenny Martens, YKSD
FY2015 - FY2018 School BAG Statistics
| School Districts | FY2015 Awards after Refunds | FY2016 Awards after Refunds | FY2017 Awards after Refunds | FY2018 Awards Refunds Pending |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Gateway | $1,135 | $78,291 | $80,060 | $80,060 |
| Aleutian Region | $211,681 | $28,280 | $28,919 | $28,919 |
| Aleutians East | $130,250 | $130,646 | $99,996 | $44,028 |
| Bering Strait | $75,427 | $18,739 | $23,297 | $4,190 |
| Bristol Bay | $83,638 | $50,722 | $2,508 | NA |
| Chatham | NA | $52,808 | $69,516 | $69,516 |
| Chugach | $172,782 | $29,633 | $79,821 | $30,303 |
| Dillingham | $149,903 | $34,087 | $17,564 | $25,812 |
| Hoonah City | NA | $12,836 | $21,863 | NA |
| Iditarod | $209,841 | $79,534 | $35,477 | $154,398 |
| Kashunamiut | $33,233 | NA | NA | $162 |
| Kenai Peninsula | $21,687 | $23,421 | $24,521 | $6,115 |
| Kodiak Island | NA | $11,706 | $14,920 | $81,082 |
| Kuspuk | $147,844 | $203,252 | $324,670 | $409,170 |
| Lake and Peninsula | $317,705 | $231,998 | $94,608 | $289,008 |
| Lower Kuskokwim | NA | $342,045 | $410,454 | NA |
| Nome | NA | $137,215 | $202,498 | $165,580 |
| North Slope | $238,217 | $147,754 | $151,093 | $146,533 |
| Northwest Arctic | $480,015 | $56,846 | $58,130 | $44,024 |
| Pelican | NA | NA | $6,168 | $4,508 |
| Pribilof | $19,991 | $49,031 | $53,265 | $32,033 |
| Saint Mary's | $66,090 | $15,735 | $16,091 | $13,283 |
| Southeast Island | $392,114 | $232,149 | $11,441 | $58,027 |
| Southwest Region | $540,681 | $167,477 | $163,546 | $166,956 |
| Tanana City | $79,224 | $48,988 | $48,060 | $41,244 |
| Unalaska | $46,328 | $75,734 | $50,927 | $50,927 |
| Yakutat | $24,719 | $7,334 | $8,146 | NA |
| Yukon Flats | NA | $54,567 | $5,520 | $6,624 |
| Yukon-Koyukuk | $127,392 | $219,969 | $243,000 | $232,002 |
| Yupiit | $102,327 | $63,889 | $31,042 | $25,915 |
| Total | $3,672,224 | $2,600,326 | $2,377,121 | $2,210,419 |
