California to give 70,000 devices to students, expand internet access for distance learning

Nearly three weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Google would provide 100,000 free points of access to improve Wi-Fi and broadband capacity across the state, Newsom detailed expanded plans to enhance distance learning for California students.

More than 70,000 students will receive laptops, Chromebooks or tablets so that students who do not have devices at home can participate in distance learning.

“The issues of equity, the issues of access and availability of laptops, computers, screens, issues of connectivity as it relates to internet and broadband, all of those issues are vexing, even on the natural, but particularly under the circumstances,” Newsom said.

Newsom said his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, state superintendent of public instruction Tony Thurmond and state board of education president Linda Darling-Hammond spearheaded an effort to request funding and devices from companies, business leaders and philanthropists around the state.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom joined the governor for his daily press briefing and spoke about her experience of parenting children who are learning from home during the coronavirus pandemic and her work in procuring commitments for funding and educational support.

“The fear these parents have that their children will fall behind without internet and devices is very real,” said Siebel Newsom. “In fact, two weeks ago, a survey of parents found that 50% of low-income families and 42% of families of color in CA are worried about distance learning because they don’t have a personal device at home.”

The governor did not specify how devices would be distributed around the state and if students would need to apply for devices, but Thurmond said “devices are now moving to get to school districts and into the hands of students.”

“We are so thankful to everyone that is stepping up to help us close the digital divide,” Thurmond said. “These efforts will truly make an impact in the lives of our students and an even greater impact as we work to close achievement gaps that existed before this public health crisis.”

T-Mobile, which partnered with Google to provide 100,000 free hotspots largely targeted for rural areas, donated the most devices as it gave 13,000 tablets to the initiative. Amazon is donating 10,000 devices, Verizon is providing 250,000 students with unlimited Internet service at a discount and Apple has given “the equivalent of 9,000 iPads,” according to a release from the governor’s office.

The California Public Utilities Commission and the California Department of Education are partnering to distribute $30 million to support connectivity. School districts will be able to apply to receive 50 percent discounts on the cost of hotspot devices and on monthly recurring service charges until September 30, 2020.

The state says rural, small and medium-sized school districts will receive priority for funding.

“We all know that education is fundamental to opportunity, so our mission will not end until every child in California has what they need to continue learning while physically distanced,” Siebel Newsom said. “This pandemic should not stand in the way of CA students reaching their potential and realizing their dreams.”

The full list of donors to the initiative includes nearly 20 companies, businesses and philanthropists.