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Videoconferencing
Costs and Background Information
Estimating Costs for Videoconferencing
Costs
When determining what a videoconference will cost, there are a number of items to consider including:
- The number and location of sites involved in the conference
- Transmission rate (for ISDN connections)
- The duration of the conference
- Set-up fees may apply
- Additional fees for instructors or speakers
While costs vary depending on location (in-state, national, international), an hourly charge for a non-profit entity begins at $50 per site, per hour of videoconferencing. This fee includes utilizing one of our video conference rooms here at the Burns Technology Center. For a customized estimate of what your videoconference would cost, call Nadeen Comfort at (406) 994-6553.
Background Information on Videoconferencing
Site Information
There are fees associated with each site connected
to a conference. The fees are per hour/per site and
vary depending upon the site, network, and/or broadcast
method.
Transmission Rate
If you connect via ISDN (phone lines), you are usually
billed according to your transmission rate. Transmission
rates vary from 56 Kbps (2 channels) to 1344 Kbps
(24 channels). (Higher transmission rates enhance
video/audio quality. A six-channel to twelve-channel
rate is adequate for most purposes.)
Rate charges vary by network. The rate card for one
commonly used network, METNET, can be found here.
Conference Duration
You are billed for a minimum of one hour of connection
time. After the first hour, the networks usually
bill in 1/2 hour increments.
The networks usually require connections to be scheduled
well in advance. Thus, the BTC must bill the full cost
of a conference (including any vendor charges) if a
conference is cancelled less than 24 business hours
before it is scheduled to begin.
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