The Tennessee Story

ENA has worked with the Tennessee Department of Education since 1996 to deliver the promise of the Internet to the classrooms of Tennessee's public schools through ConnecTEN, the first successful statewide K-12 network in the nation.

ENA managed the original design and deployment of the ConnecTEN network and during the past seven years has expanded its vision and impact by:

• Connecting nearly a million students in 137 different school systems to the Internet and the World Wide Web
• Providing always-on protection with cutting edge content filtering technology for students while preserving First Amendment protected access for adults
• Maximizing existing resources and bandwidth through advanced caching and network amplification services
• Providing web-based e-mail services to teachers and administrators state-wide, enabling better communication and collaboration with parents, students and administrators across the state and around the world
• Delivering superior customer service and network support to ensure safe, reliable, equitable Internet access regardless of location or resources
• Helping the state qualify for and obtain federal funding to cover 70% of the cost of the ConnecTEN network
• Working with more than 30 different telecom providers and 137 separate local education agencies to support several generations of computing technology in one comprehensive, seamless, reliable network
• Consistently adding products and services to meet the needs of Tennessee schools

ENA has invested more than $10 million in software development and $20 million in upgrades to the ConnecTEN network.

As a result of ENA's work, Tennessee today has a network connecting approximately 250,000 computers, 106,000 teachers and administrators, and 900,000 students to the Internet. In fact, more than 100 million Web page requests are delivered to classrooms across the state every school day.

• In a 2003 statewide customer satisfaction survey of the 137 school systems in Tennessee served by ENA, the support and satisfaction expressed by the district level Technology Coordinators was nearly unanimous:
• 98% of respondents gave ENA a positive overall satisfaction rating
• 100% of respondents gave the ConnecTEN network a positive overall satisfaction rating
• 99% of respondents said they would recommend ConnecTEN services to others

ENA Saves the State Money
ENA has a strong history of providing superior, cost-effective solutions to its customers. In the State of Tennessee alone, ENA has saved the state over $140 million over the last seven years while delivering first class service through the ConnecTEN network.

ENA has saved the State of Tennessee money as part of each service contract:

• In 1996, ENA was awarded a $125,000 contract to serve as general manager to construct the initial ConnecTEN Network that connected each Tennessee public school to the Internet. For many schools, this connection was their first link to the Internet. As part of this role, ENA raised over $3 million in donations to supplement the state budgeted funds to complete the initial build-out. In 1997, ENA turned the now functional ConnecTEN Network over to the State selected sole source contractor.
• In 1998, ENA won the State's RFP to outsource the ConnecTEN network. Although ENA's competing bidder was working with the state as the incumbent service provider, ENA won the contract as the lowest and most cost-effective provider with a bid of $74 million. ENA's bid was $112 million below the next lowest-cost bidder as certified by the State to the FCC.
• In 1998, ENA pioneered the delivery of content filtering on a statewide basis; effectively creating a safe environment for students to use the Internet. ENA's proprietary approach allowed services to be centralized on the network versus being delivered at the district level. This approach saved Tennessee at least $1 million over competing solutions.
• In late 2001, ENA won a new five-year contract to provide ConnecTEN services through June 30, 2007. As part of the RFP process, state administrators again judged ENA the most cost-effective bidder. ENA's bid was more than $25 million below the second place bidder.

ENA continues to save the state and district customers money through reliable service and innovative new approaches. During the last few years, ENA has rolled out over 1,000 circuit upgrades, 1,500 new routers, and increased bandwidth by more than 400%. No other vendor can match ENA's experience and proven success in providing cost-effective Internet access for K-12 schools.

Making the Internet Safe
Since its creation and widespread acceptance less than a decade ago, the Internet has unfortunately become a popular tool for pornography and for sexual predators. Our students are constantly at risk whenever they're online, yet most filtering solutions consistently block some of the most basic online resources.

ENA puts the world at your fingertips while using best-of-breed content filtering technologies and network security measures designed specifically for K-12 schools to guard against offensive, inappropriate or illegal content. ENA's filters combine human-reviewed lists of inappropriate sites with automated content checkers to provide maximum protection.

Educators and parents know that their students and children are protected from online pornography, hate, violence, and predatory individuals. State officials know that First Amendment rights are protected because the system provides authorized bypass for supervising adults in accordance with the federal Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA).