HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — More than 56,000 HISD students could soon be without internet access as a nonprofit warns the district has not re-signed a deal to keep the resources in the community.
We’re talking about the Verizon Digital Promise. It came to the district in 2020 and helped 36 Houston ISD schools access to tablets, laptops, and hot spots, but ABC13 is learning from the telecommunications giant that help could be gone in just two weeks.
According to the 2020 census data, 7.1% of homes across Houston have no connection to the internet. As the pandemic shut schools down and brought on virtual learning, HISD partnered with Verizon’s nonprofit Digital Promise to close that gap. The partnership gave free data, laptops, and tablets to over 56,000 HISD students. They estimate that $75 million has been invested into HISD so far at no cost to the district.
But that could soon be gone as …