Press Release:
IMPORTANT UPDATES FOR CONTINUED STUDENT LEARNING
New tool provides map of free public WiFi in Urban and Rural Georgia
April 7, 2020 – With schools closed across the state, more than ever, students need to connect to the internet for continuity of learning. Many students have been able to continue their lessons on-line, however, many families do not have internet at home.
Governor Brian Kemp is keenly aware that students need to continue learning – his April 3rd Executive Order included “children obtaining public internet access to fulfill educational obligations” as Essential Services. When students return to school, Governor Kemp and State Superintendent Richard Woods want students to be able to avoid a longer than usual “summer slide” by doing as much as they can to inform families about connectivity resources.
The Governor has announced that the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative is providing information about public WiFi locations around the state where students can access the internet for free. The locations are now viewable in an easy-to-use map on DCA’s website: https://broadband.georgia.gov/georgia-internet-access-covid-19-update.
May we ask you to utilize this map to share the list of free public WiFi locations with the communities you serve? Please, just continue to stress that we must all still follow the statewide social distancing guidelines that are critical to flattening the curve of COVID-19’s progression.
Public WiFi locations like libraries are closed but their connection to the internet is available from points around the outside of buildings such as parking lots. Internet users must bring their own devices such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones. And again, they MUST follow the social distancing guidelines and remain six feet apart from fellow Georgians who are not members of their household.
This list does not include the Kindergarten through 12th-grade schools or Georgia colleges and universities providing WiFi access for students. To find those locations, students and/or parents are instructed to contact their local school.
The Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative is led by the Department of Community Affairs and partners include the Georgia Department of Education, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, and the Georgia Public Library System.
For more information, contact:
Deana Perry, Executive Director, Broadband
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
(404) 679-1587
Deana.Perry@dca.ga.gov
