BROKEN BOW – To help provide earning access and opportunities and keep local youth connected, UScellular has donated 250 wireless hotspots and two years of service to Central Plains Center for Services. The donation is worth $281,500 as part of the company’s After School Access Project.
Currently, more than 40 million people in the United States lack reliable access to high-speed internet. This leads to an issue known as the “homework gap” among youth who lack proper internet access. UScellular’s After School Access Project provides free mobile hotspots and services to nonprofits that support youth after the school day has ended and provide safe internet access for homework and education.
In 2023, UScellular donated 1,647 hotspots worth almost $1.9 million to eight Nebraska nonprofit organizations.
Central Plains Center for Services plans to utilize the hotspots for youth and young adults who do not have reliable home internet access.
Hotspots are stand-alone Wi-Fi networks that can connect several devices at once wirelessly and have proven to be a vital tool for youth to access the internet, study, and complete homework. The hotspots provided through the After School Access Project connect to UScellular’s network to provide high-speed connectivity for youth.
Since 2009, UScellular has donated nearly $22.6 million along with countless experiences and technology items to nonprofit organizations across the country.