More Wi-Fi Rangers To Give Students Better Internet Access

PAULDING COUNTY, GA — Paulding County’s school system is one of 36 throughout Georgia that will benefit from additional Wi-Fi Rangers — roving buses that provide internet connections — thanks to a donation from AT&T.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday that AT&T’s grant to the Georgia Department of Education would be used to deploy 448 more Wi-Fi buses throughout rural parts of the state, tripling the number currently available. The money also covers the cost of two months of service for each bus.

“This issue has come into sharp focus during the COVID-19 pandemic as so many rural students struggle to continue remote learning without internet access,” Kemp said.

Get the latest updates on the new coronavirus in Georgia as they happen. Sign up for free news alerts and a newsletter in your Patch town.

School systems will choose locations for Wi-Fi Ranger bus networks, sending them to unserved areas where students don’t have access to internet at home. Access information will be communicated directly to their students and families, who will then be able to access the Wi-Fi by parking nearby or by walking to the Wi-Fi Ranger bus location. Each Wi-Fi bus has a range of up to 300 feet, or the length of a football field.

According to a Federal Communications Commission report released in April, nearly 80% of Americans not connected to the internet live in rural areas. And while only 1.5% of urban dwellers lack access to high-speed internet, nearly 1 in 4 rural Americans can’t connect to high-speed internet. This means that rural students are almost 15 times more likely to lack access to the internet for remote learning when school buildings are closed.

RELATED:

• Delta Will Suspend Flights To 10 Airports Until The Fall
• What Will The Falcons 2020 Season Look Like? Fauci Weighs In
• Kemp: GA Has Low Ventilator Use, Hospitalizations; Cases Increase