DES MOINES, Iowa — Thousands of families across Iowa lack reliable internet access at home, but one company has stepped up in a big way to help.
To help students stay connected, local non-profit FOCUSS received $2.2 million worth of mobile hotspots from UScellular as part of the company's "After School Access Project." The initiatve lead to approximately 2,000 hotspot devices being available.
The donation also included two years of free internet service along with the hotspot.
"U.S. Cellular saw an opportunity to really get in the communities we interact with, and provide that internet service for the gap that we saw," said Heather Eckler, an area sales manager for UScellular.
Organizers with United Way of Central Iowa hope that the donation will take some stress off of parents and encourage students to access online learning tools during the summer.
"Education success is a cornerstone of our work at United Way of Central Iowa," said Community Impact and Integration Officer Kate Bennett. "This is a perfect time for us to be giving away these hotspots to families that may not otherwise have internet access, or may rely on school to be the primary access for internet."
Jaymi Vanderlinden, a mother of children who rely on technology to interact and communicate with others, says these donations are crucial.
"I think it's very powerful to be able to come in here and get two years of access to that, so when you're out and about, you always have a means for your child to communicate," she told Local 5.
Over 1,300 hotspots were given away during Wednesday's event. The remainder will be donated to various schools throughout the Des Moines area.