Sprint today announced that it will be providing phones and service to one million disadvantaged high school students through the Sprint Foundation. It’s participating in the 1Million Project which is the largest corporate initiative in U.S. history to bridge the digital divide and to close the “homework gap” for students who lack internet connectivity at home. Sprint is part of this multiyear initiative to provide free mobile devices and free internet to one million low-income high school students in the country.
The homework gap puts low-income students at a disadvantage as they don’t have internet access at home that’s required for completing homework and keeping in touch with teachers, applying for jobs, colleges, and scholarships.
To hand out devices, Sprint is going to work with non-profit agencies like EveryoneOn and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance which will recruit community organizations such as libraries, schools, and public housing authorities to execute locally, deliver devices, and activate mobile internet services.
The carrier will work with these program members closely to determine the best solution for local students. They might get either a free smartphone, tablet, laptop or hotspot device with 3GB of LTE data per month. If the limit is exceeded they can continue to use unlimited data at 2G speeds. Students who get a smartphone will be able to use it as a hotspot and for unlimited domestic calls and texts on Sprint.
A report by the Pew Research Center reveals that there are more than five million families in the country with school-aged children that don’t have broadband access at home. Their chances for success are limited as at least 70 percent of teachers assign homework that requires internet connectivity, says a report prepared by the Federal Communications Commission’s Broadband Task Force.
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