County to spend $1.2 million on 4000+ Wi-Fi hotspots for students without reliable internet service

Prince William Board of County Supervisors has accepted, budgeted and appropriated $1.2 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to buy 4,061 Wi-Fi hotspot devices for students without reliable internet service.

According to a news release, distribution of the 4,061 Wi-Fi hotspots will be prioritized to go to Title I schools. Students without reliable access to the internet while they are not in school, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are at a learning disadvantage, and the Wi-fi hotspots will help with their education, according to the release.

This additional CARES Act funding will pay for devices for one year under the County Student Hotspot Program. The school division will distribute the devices to families in need. Once the device subscription expires, users will have to pay for continued service or return the devices.

Prince William County Libraries is also providing 100 Chromebooks to county schools to assist students’ learning and academic studies.

The Prince William Department of Information Technology (DoIT) worked with Prince William County Schools or the Wi-Fi project.