As schools start around the US, many face a problem with getting all their students connected for virtual classes. To help with that crisis, T-Mobile has launched its grant program that aims to eliminate the so-called homework gap. From a report: Unveiled a year ago, Project 10Million will provide hotspots and free connectivity for millions of students around the country. Now that T-Mobile and Sprint have merged, the combined company has hammered out the project’s specifics and is opening it up to schools on Thursday. It has allocated $10.7 billion over the life of the 10-year program, up from the initial $10 billion pledge in late 2019.
“Our mission is to not stop until we’ve provided the connectivity and devices for students to be connected who can’t afford to be connected, so that they can do their homework,” T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Matt Staneff said in an interview ahead of the news. “We believe we can make a difference, and we’re taking this on at scale.” Students who are part of the national free- and reduced-price lunch program for low-income families will qualify for Project 10Million. A school district applies for the grant and is able to specify the needs of its students. It doesn’t share personal, identifying data with T-Mobile, aside from a ZIP code at times to be sure students have steady T-Mobile service where they live. The schools handle the distribution of the hotspots and can tap into dedicated T-Mobile support for setting up the device or other troubleshooting.
of this story at Slashdot.
Source:: Slashdot