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Sprint 1Million Project to Provide Free Wireless Devices and Service to 8,000+ Maryland High School Students

2017-08-14 09:52 ET - News Release

Baltimore City Schools will receive 3,700 devices through multi-year initiative to help close the “Homework Gap”


Company Website: http://www.sprint.com
BALTIMORE -- (Business Wire)

Brian Hedlund, Region President for Sprint (NYSE:S), and Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises announced today that 3,700 Baltimore City high school students will receive free mobile devices and high-speed wireless internet service from Sprint and the Sprint Foundation to help close the “Homework Gap” in Maryland. In addition to Baltimore City, the program will include four public school districts across the state.

Through Sprint’s 1Million Project, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, participating high school students will receive either a free smartphone, tablet, or hotspot device and 3GB of high-speed LTE data per month for up to four years while they are in high school. Unlimited data is available at 2G speeds if usage exceeds 3GB in a month. Those who receive a smartphone can use it as a hotspot.

Maryland will be one of 32 states for the nationwide rollout beginning this fall which includes, 118 school districts, over 1,300 high schools and 180,000 students. In total, Sprint will distribute more than 8,000 devices to school districts across Maryland, including:

In total, Sprint will distribute more than 8,000 devices to Maryland schools, including:

  • Baltimore City Public Schools – 3,700 lines/students
  • Prince Georges County Public Schools – 2,560 lines/students
  • Baltimore County Public Schools – 1,500 lines/students
  • Charles County Public Schools – 300 lines/students

Approximately 5 million U.S. families with school-aged children do not have broadband access at home1, yet, at least 70 percent of teachers assign homework that requires web access2. In Miami-Dade, a 2014 report 2 indicated that roughly one in three households (35 percent) lack internet connection.

Anyone looking to support the program can visit www.sprint.com/give1mp to make a cash donation via credit card3. Used mobile devices can also be donated online or in Sprint stores. Devices will be recycled or resold with net proceeds benefiting the 1Million Project. Visit www.sprint.com/1millionproject for more information, and follow and support the program on social media by using the hashtag #1MillionProject.

Quotes:

“Access to technology and the internet at home are crucial for Maryland’s high school students to compete academically,” said Brian Hedlund, Sprint’s President for the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region. “The 1Million Project is intended to help narrow the homework gap and give students additional opportunities to learn in the classroom and beyond.”

“Being able to connect to the Internet and use digital technologies at home will give students more and better access to the resources they need for success,” said Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Brookins Santelises. “Initiatives like the 1Million Project are important if we’re going to close the digital divide and make sure there is equity in access to the tools and information that power today’s world.”

“As teachers continue to push students to use the Internet and technology for classwork, we are grappling with stark disparities across the country– between the families who have access to high-speed Internet, and the 5 million families who are without it, said Rep. Anthony Brown (MD-04). “Without access to the tools necessary to succeed in and outside the classroom, more students are being left behind. The 1Million Project is an important initiative to end these disparities and bridge this digital divide. This investment to make high-speed Internet available for thousands of low-income and minority Maryland families will empower them to be more successful in school, pursue greater opportunities in the future, and thrive in the global economy.”

About Sprint:

Sprint (NYSE:S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 53.7 million connections as of June 30, 2017 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

 
1 Pew Research Center > goo.gl/EmpJj8
2 The New York Times > goo.gl/5DacsH
3 Cash donations for the 1Million Project are tax-deductible charitable contributions to the Sprint Foundation. Device donations are not tax deductible. Net proceeds from reselling/recycling donated devices or $1 per device, whichever is greater, will be donated to the program.
 

Contacts:

Sprint
Roni Singleton, 404-649-8354
eronia.singleton@sprint.com

Source: Sprint

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