Sprint Provides More Than $500,000 in Free Broadband Service to Help Bridge the Digital Divide for Pomona Students

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Today, Sprint S announced it will begin a four-year commitment of offering free broadband connectivity to the Pomona, Calif., Unified School District to 300 students at the School of Extended Educational Options (SEEO). The high-speed LTE broadband service will help students stay connected at-home through a Wi-Fi hotspot. The value of Sprint's service during the term is estimated at $576,000.

"This partnership is a novel approach to ensuring that the learning that takes place in the classrooms continues at home by making technology and Internet accessible to our unconnected students," said Pomona Unified School District Superintendent Richard Martinez, who has been recognized by the White House for being a trailblazer in the world of digital education. "I want to thank Sprint for partnering with Pomona Unified to help us reach our goal of supporting student learning through innovative strategies."

Last year, Sprint pledged to provide wireless broadband connectivity for 50,000 low-income K-12 students across the U.S. as part of the White House initiative, ConnectED – a public and private effort to get technology into classrooms and into the hands of teachers and students to help bridge the "digital divide." SEEO is one of the first schools to come online with Sprint.

Sprint has a long history of supporting initiatives that use innovative technologies, services and devices to enhance educational opportunities. With access to high-speed broadband, students can obtain more rigorous and engaging classes, new learning resources, rich visualizations of complex concepts, and instruction in foreign language.

"Digital literacy is more important than ever to produce the future leaders of tomorrow," said Jim Spillane, director of the ConnectED program at Sprint. "Students are at a significant disadvantage without access to the Internet, and Sprint is proud to provide the technology these students need to access the most current educational resources and to achieve their highest educational potential."

SEEO, a charter school for seventh through twelfth-graders, is known for a demanding academic program that includes language arts, math, science and history, world languages, and leadership. The majority of students do not have access to the Internet at home, thereby limiting student opportunities to complete homework assignments, research next-level learning, and apply for jobs. About 55 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch and 25 percent of students are English learners.

"SEEO is extremely grateful for Sprint's generosity and for this opportunity to give our students the digital access they desperately need," said Tom Sweeney, SEEO principal. "These services provide our students an enhanced educational experience and a foundation for greater opportunities when they leave this school and pursue careers."

The ConnectED initiative, launched by President Obama, is designed to prepare students for the digital economy of the future and to enrich K-12 education for every student in America. More than $750 million in private-sector commitments will deliver cutting-edge technologies to students, including devices, free software, teacher professional development, and home wireless connectivity. American companies, including Sprint, have answered the president's challenge to "dig deep" in support of ConnectED to expand opportunities for students and to train a 21^st century workforce.

To learn more about the Sprint ConnectED program visit: www.sprint.com/connected.

About Sprint

Sprint 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 more than 57 million connections as of June 30, 2015, 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 four 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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