When we talk about technology in schools, the elephant in the room isn't devices, or software, or training, or security. It's bandwidth. Running, you know, GOOD connectivity to hundreds of simultaneous users is expensive, and it's a mix of fixed asset cost, repair cost and running cost that can be a bad fit with most school budgets. Forget the price - adding thousands a month in utility costs and maybe tens of thousands in setup is hard for an institution that's accustomed to payroll being the biggest and most consistent line item.

Internet connectivity is, at this point, a utility. A person could argue that they don't want or need electricity from the grid, or water, or phone service, but we generally don't take those people seriously. In fact, we insist that people have access to, and pay for, such service whether they want it or not. Electricity used to be a luxury. Then it was optional, then it was suggested, and now it's mandatory. Internet connectivity is, as we speak, moving into the last category.

Imagine a school in a community like Harlem, where you have internet access just by being there. Imagine teachers knowing that there's a reliable service for all their students, and that if it breaks, it's not their problem. Imagine not having to fight internally about allocating scarce bandwidth, and just using the service whenever it's useful to the class. Imagine using it from any room instead of the computer lab. Now imagine that in your school.

http://mashable.com/2013/12/10/new-york-city-harlem-wi-fi-network/