Need WiFi in Whiteville? It’s now available 24/7 outside Museum
For immediate release ‐ January 04, 2021
Contact: Jon Pishney, 919.707.8083. Images available upon request
Goal is to boost access to rural students
Local students and other residents needing high-speed WiFi have a new 24/7 option — the parking lot of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville.
The “Park and Learn” project is part of a broader effort called NC Student Connect, which aims to provide internet access to students in rural communities.
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the museum’s umbrella organization, is enlisting resources at state parks, historic sites and other community hubs to expand internet access and bolster remote learning opportunities for students across the state.
“We are grateful the department acted quickly to provide this service, not only at our site, but across the region,” said Dr. Shelby Gull Laird, head of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville. “These NC Student Connect Park and Learn locations complement the creative ways local governments and businesses are expanding public internet access.”
NC Student Connect was created this year to improve internet connectivity and fill gaps that are a barrier to remote learning. The project is a partnership of state agencies, including the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Hometown Strong, the Department of Information Technology, the governor’s education advisor and the NC Business Committee for Education, to rapidly connect students with remote learning.
“Expanding student access to the internet has become a priority as school systems across the state have adopted remote learning policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Susi H. Hamilton, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “Our state parks, historic sites and local libraries are locations that provide a safe and secure space for students to access the internet for remote learning. Partnering with Hometown Strong on this project to bring internet access to our students in rural North Carolina is one of the most important initiatives we have undertaken together.”
The Park and Learn project has installed WiFi hotspots at more than 200 sites across the state. When completed, it will bring WiFi access to more than 350 locations. In addition, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has purchased more than 84,000 hotspots and distributed them to about 200 school systems or charter schools.
“When school resumed in August, school superintendents around the state estimated that at least 100,000 students still lacked a reliable internet connection at home,” said Mary Penny Kelley, executive director of Hometown Strong. “Based on county visits we made pre-pandemic, we knew we had to connect more rural students to succeed at remote learning in these challenging times, and this initiative is a great example of folks working together toward that goal.”
Park and Learn is being funded by a federal CARES Act grant that expires Dec. 30. The NC Student Connect Initiative will use $6.1 million to provide internet access where it is most needed. The project is expected to reach as many as 82 state-owned sites and approximately 335 community sites when complete.
Visit hometownstrong.nc.gov/tools/remote-learning to learn more about NC Student Connect and find a map of WiFi locations.
Source: The News Reporter