Multi-year initiative to help Florida students close the “Homework Gap”

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

Claudio Hidalgo, Region President for Sprint (NYSE: S) announced today that more than 20,000 high school students in Florida will receive free mobile devices and high-speed wireless internet service from Sprint and the Sprint Foundation to help close the “Homework Gap” in the state. The program will include six public school districts across the state.

Through Sprint’s 1Million Project, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, participating high school students in Florida 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.

Florida will be one of 32 states for the nationwide rollout beginning this fall which includes, 118 school districts, over 1,300 districts and 180,000 students. In total, Sprint will distribute more than 20,000 devices to school districts across Florida, including:

• Miami-Dade Public Schools – 14,000 lines/students
• Broward County Public Schools – 2,500 lines/students
• The Orange County Public Schools – 2,000 lines/students
• The Hernando County Schools – 1,700 lines/students
• St. Lucie County Public Schools –360 lines/students
• The Pinellas County 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 ³ 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 card⁴. 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:

“No child should struggle to finish school projects because they lack access to the proper technology,” said Claudio Hidalgo, Sprint’s President for the Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands region. “Sprint wants to do its part to make the learning process a little easier and this technology is key to unlocking students’ highest potential.”

“We, at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, are committed to programs and partnerships that consistently raise the bar on student academic achievement,” said M-DCPS Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho. “Our goal is to constantly innovate, ensuring school is never out of session. We want to create a continuous environment of learning so that students may capitalize on a multitude of academic enrichment opportunities beyond the classroom door. Thanks to Sprint’s donation, we can make that goal a reality for 14,000 students.”

“With our robust digital learning program in place for all high school students, connectivity to the web is critical for students at home,” said Orange County Superintendent Barbara Jenkins. “We’re thankful that the Sprint 1Million Project selected Orange County Public Schools for this wonderful donation.”

“Technology plays a vital role in our students’ lives, both inside and outside of the classroom," said Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. "We are excited to partner with the Sprint 1Million Project, which reinforces our commitment to personalizing and innovating learning through technology."

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 Miami Herald > goo.gl/9UJbxZ

⁴ 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.}

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170814005625/en/

Contacts:

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

Source: Sprint