Following a brief discussion on the status of our Executive Director search, Mike made a motion that Bill be authorized to proceed to conclusion in the hiring of our primary candidate. The motion was unanimously approved.
2. Content filtering
There was agreement on the Board that RINET needs to offer a centralized filtering solution. It is our complete expectation that this will be offered as a fee-based service. Katie will prepare a preliminary specification that incorporates discussion of requirements to date. The specification will be shared with the Board and interested community members in preparation for a presentation by interested vendors some time in December. Included in the specification should be the support required to install, rollout and maintain the filtering solution. Joe Pangborn, Jim Carr, George Loftus will serve as liaisons for technical support. Each collaborative will be asked to recommend a member of the committee working on this project.
3. Virus Protection
A similar process will be followed for selecting a virus protection solution.
4. Status of site
Building preparation is well underway. The anticipated occupation date is late December.
5. Financial update
Norm presented a summary of current accounts payable. There is concern among Board members that the non-discounted portions of district/school bills are not being paid in a timely fashion. Norm/Melanie will send a letter to districts identifying the non-discounted portion of the bill that is due immediately.
6. Content Committee
Included in the financial update was a report on the status of the fund for end-user services. There is presently a balance of $93,500 in the account. A discussion followed clarifying the concept that RINET will be utilizing those funds to leverage its' ability to provide content services. RINET has no intention of funding any fee- based service for customers. The possibility of establishing a grant program to determine how funds should be dispersed was also discussed.
7. DSL
In response to solicitations by various DSL firms, the issue of feasibility of this technology was discussed. George pointed out several considerations regarding suitability. First, the service is completely dependent upon the proximity to CO. On a statewide rollout this restriction would be unacceptable. Second, lead time for installation and repair is long and unreliable. Additionally, for video the only possibility is contention-based access. Steve pointed out that it might be in RINET's best interest to inform districts of the advantages and disadvantages of this type of service. In certain circumstances, for example a small school close to the CO, this technology might be advantageous.