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

Brian Miller, Region President for Sprint (NYSE:S) announced today that 7,100 high school students in Georgia 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 three 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.

Georgia 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 7,100 devices to school districts across Georgia, including:

  • DeKalb County Public Schools – 5,000 lines/students
  • Atlanta Public Schools – 1,500 lines/students
  • Richmond County Public Schools – 600 lines/students

In the DeKalb County School District (DCSD), the wi-fi devices will support the district’s Digital Dreamers project, an effort to provide middle and high school students with a laptop that can be used off-campus in their studies. Sprint’s wi-fi connection will provide the gateway for the student’s devices to connect to the internet and the district’s online learning resources.

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 Atlanta, a 2014 report 3 indicated that roughly 29 percent of households lack a computer and/or 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 at. 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:

“We are excited to be able to support our students here in Georgia with the rollout of this program,” said Brian Miller, Sprint’s President for the Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama region. “High school is a critical time for students’ future success. It’s our hope that the 1Million Project provides them with the tools they need for academic success.”

“Education today is digital and it’s key to college and career readiness,” said DeKalb County School District Superintendent Dr. Stephen Green. “We want our students in DeKalb County who need Internet access to have it beyond the classroom. Thankfully, these students will now have the tools they need for success.”

“As a strong advocate of digital inclusion, I commend this commitment to bridge the digital divide,” said Rep. Hank Johnson, who has pushed to empower low-income and minority communities through digital rights, broadband access, and equality of opportunity online as the former ranking member of the subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law (RRCAL). “Our economy is now driven by innovation online. Access to these high-tech tools are critical so all our students are included in the new gig 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.

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1 Pew Research Center > https://goo.gl/EmpJj8

2 The New York Times > https://goo.gl/5DacsH

3 Saporta Report > https://goo.gl/fFHCsJ

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.

Media:SprintRoni Singleton, 404-649-8354eronia.singleton@sprint.com

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