Pricing, Benefits, and E-Rate Information
CEN has consistently managed reductions in the cost per bit and passed those savings on to its members. These savings are a direct result of effectively managing the infrastructure platforms, prudently reinvesting capital, and diligently pursuing subsidy programs to ensure CEN members receive the most cost-effective value. As a result, CEN has experienced consistent membership growth and increased utilization of its suite of network and security services and a highly competitive value proposition for its members, year over year.
Contact us to discuss your needs and how we can provide greater value for your organization.
The CEN Advantage
CEN’s dedicated Internet solutions are delivered end-to-end on its underlying fiber-optic network connecting your institution to the fastest, most secure, and longest operated all Gig-speed network in Connecticut. Since 2000, CEN has supported Community Anchor Institutions across the state and since 2010 has been available to select private businesses as well.
With a fully meshed core and resilient edge ring design, the majority of our members benefit from ‘east-west’ dual connections to our backbone resulting in unparalleled up-time. We also support jumbo frames across our backbones and member handoffs further reducing latency and speeding up your connection up to 6 times faster than legacy carriers, terrestrial providers, and new FTTX start-ups. CEN services are not oversubscribed and can burst to the full handoff speed at any time. These directly routed services are designed for ultra-high-performance, high availability, and resiliency supporting your most intensive data flows and real-time applications such as voice and broadcast video. CEN also has major peering and transit relationships with multiple Tier 1 Internet carriers, NEREN, and Internet2 (the national R&E network) bringing a community of ultra-high-performance networks together, direct access to major cloud services, and a high level of scalability and reliability directly to you.
Oh, and we’re based in Hartford and operate on a cost recovery (not for-profit) business model, so we focus on being the best partner we can and only covering costs. That’s why our connected institutions are called members, not customers, since we are all in this together.
Value
CEN’s cost recovery model provides competitive pricing, custom tailored services, and larger feature sets as compared to other for-profit ISPs.
Quality
CEN’s scalable, resilient network design offers an unmatched combination of performance attributes for speed, latency, reliability, and security.
Service
CEN’s Connecticut based team backs its members with a 24/7/365 Network Operations Center (NOC) and access to senior technical staff for the most consistent, local, expert service available.
Security
CEN provides premium security services at no additional cost. Members are protected from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks with CEN’s monitoring and mitigation service, reducing the burden on member technical staff.
Collaboration
CEN is also a network of member professionals sharing expertise, buying power, and best practices. Working with CEN team members in governance councils and training projects, members share in the development of CEN’s strategy and product offerings.
Web Filtering
Internet2
Cisco
Carahsoft National Consortium Contract
What is E-Rate?
The Universal Service Schools and Libraries Program (E-rate Program) helps ensure that schools and libraries can obtain affordable rates for telecommunications, Internet access, internal connections, and basic maintenance of internal connections. The program, which is administered by the non-profit Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), provides discounts on services and hardware. In your telephone and cable bills, you pay a Universal Services charge which is allocated toward this program.
What is funded?
The list of Eligible Services changes each funding year. This funding year (July 2019-June 2020) the following items are eligible for discounts:
Category One
- Data Transmission Services and Internet Access, such as broadband over power lines, cable modems, DSL, T-1 or T-3 lines, ethernet, fiber optic lines, and satellite service.
- Voice Services, including many kinds of telephone service options.
Category Two
- Internal Connections, such as wireless access points, routers, internal cabling, switches, Uninterruptible Power Supply/battery backup packs, and wireless controller systems.
- Managed Internal Broadband Services, such as hiring a company to install, monitor, and fix the broadband network or Wi-Fi.
- Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections, including repair and upkeep, maintenance of cable and fiber, configuration changes, tech support, and software upgrades.
E-Rate Essential Resources
Our hand-picked resources to lead you through the E-Rate Process
CEN Eligible Services
Internet
CEN’s E-Rate eligible internet is the best connected and longest running regional network developed specifically for schools and libraries.
Private Ethernet
CEN’s Private Ethernet Service is a reliable network point-to-point connection that offers high quality affordable service.
Managed WiFi
CEN’s E-Rate eligible WiFi is the best connected and longest running regional network developed specifically for schools and libraries.
Managed Firewall
CEN offers a managed firewall solution as a first line of defense against malicious Internet traffic.
Discounts
Your library’s discount rate is based on the percentage of students in your school district who are eligible for free or reduced lunches under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP); and whether the library is classified as urban or rural. In order to get discounts on Internet Service, WiFi, and most other eligible services, your library must be CIPA compliant (exception is dark fiber special construction).
Library and School District authorities must certify one of the following:
- They have complied with the requirements of CIPA
- They are undertaking actions to comply with the requirements of CIPA (only available if this is your library’s first year since 2001 to apply for E-Rate funding for internet access and services other than telephones).
- CIPA does not apply to them because they are receiving discounts for telecommunication services only.
How CEN can help
- No cost filtering – part of CEN ISP Service (optional).
- iboss Cybersecurity provides cloud solution hosted within multiple of CEN’s data centers. Members can log into a portal dedicated to their organization to manage filtering policies.
- Members have the option to purchase their own iBoss filter appliance, minus the cost of licensing which is covered by CEN currently through August 2018. Leveraging an internal appliance allows for integration with the members domain server and more granular visibility and control over individual users.
Discounts range from 20% to 90%
Examples in CT:
- Ferguson Library, Stamford: 80%
- Stamford Public School District: 80%
- Farmington Public School District: 80%
- Mansfield Library: 60%
- Levi E. Coe Library, Middlefield: 50%
- Deep River Public School District: 50%