Dive Brief:

• Sprint Corporation will offer smartphones, tablets, laptops or hotspots to 200,000 students per year over the next five years to connect 1 million high school students who don’t have access to the internet at home.
• The Kansas City Star reports students will get limited access to LTE data service and unlimited access to slower service along with free calls and texts for the four years they are in high school.
• The 1Million Project is being supported by the Sprint Foundation and manufacturers that have agreed to donate their devices, and as many as 10 cities will be able to participate in the program — though Sprint has only named its headquarters, Kansas City, so far.

Dive Insight:

President Barack Obama made it a major initiative of his administration to get 99% of the nation’s schools connected to reliable broadband by 2018. The focus on connecting schools has expanded with the recognition that students need access to the internet at home, too. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has been one of those speaking out about the “homework gap,” which stems from teachers assigning homework that requires internet access even though all students don’t have it.

School districts have responded by outfitting school buses with Wi-Fi, expanding their networks to reach outside of the school building — in some cases, through the entire district boundaries — and sending students home with internet-enabled devices. That work must continue to ensure students aren’t being held back by their family circumstances.