Verizon has expanded its partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District to extend its affordable, reliable internet access to eligible families in California and address the approximate 1.25 million households in the state that do not have internet access.
Through the partnership, Verizon plans to provide mobile broadband and voice service plans to eligible families through a range of state, local and non-profit organizations across California in an effort to “narrow the digital divide,” the company said Thursday.
2021 Wash100 Award winner Jennifer Chronis, senior vice president of Verizon’s public sector business said, “This new phase of our landmark partnership with Los Angeles Unified extends our remote learning program to include other populations in California that need internet access to continue their education, retrain for a job or complete other critical tasks online.”
Through the partnership’s amendment, Verizon’s existing distance learning program will be expanded to California public libraries, which will have the same benefits and contract terms as K-12 schools in the state.
Chronis added that this amendment to the company’s partnership with the school district is the next step in Verizon’s new national digital inclusion program, which aims to provide affordable internet access to low-income families and individuals through support from state and local government agencies.
Other partners in the digital inclusion program include the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Georgia Department of Education.
Verizon first partnered with Los Angeles Unified in response to the March 2020 COVID-19-related school closures, enabling the school district to provide internet access to its students and families who would not otherwise have distance learning capabilities.
