Sprint Provides More Than $500,000 in Free Broadband Service to Help Bridge the Digital Divide for Pomona Students

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Sprint (NYSE:S) announced it will begin a four-year commitment of
offering free broadband connectivity to the Pomona, Calif., Unified
School District to 300 students at the School
of Extended Educational Options (SEEO). The high-speed LTE broadband
service will help students stay connected at-home through a Wi-Fi
hotspot. The value of Sprint’s service during the term is estimated at
$576,000.

“This partnership is a novel approach to ensuring that the learning that
takes place in the classrooms continues at home by making technology and
Internet accessible to our unconnected students,” said Pomona Unified
School District Superintendent Richard Martinez, who has been recognized
by the White House for being a trailblazer in the world of digital
education. “I want to thank Sprint for partnering with Pomona Unified to
help us reach our goal of supporting student learning through innovative
strategies.”

Last year, Sprint pledged to provide wireless broadband connectivity for
50,000 low-income K-12 students across the U.S. as part of the White
House initiative, ConnectED
– a public and private effort to get technology into classrooms and into
the hands of teachers and students to help bridge the “digital divide.”
SEEO is one of the first schools to come online with Sprint.

Sprint has a long history of supporting initiatives that use innovative
technologies, services and devices to enhance educational opportunities.
With access to high-speed broadband, students can obtain more rigorous
and engaging classes, new learning resources, rich visualizations of
complex concepts, and instruction in foreign language.

“Digital literacy is more important than ever to produce the future
leaders of tomorrow,” said Jim Spillane, director of the ConnectED
program at Sprint. “Students are at a significant disadvantage without
access to the Internet, and Sprint is proud to provide the technology
these students need to access the most current educational resources and
to achieve their highest educational potential.”

SEEO, a charter school for seventh through twelfth-graders, is known for
a demanding academic program that includes language arts, math, science
and history, world languages, and leadership. The majority of students
do not have access to the Internet at home, thereby limiting student
opportunities to complete homework assignments, research next-level
learning, and apply for jobs. About 55 percent of the students qualify
for free and reduced lunch and 25 percent of students are English
learners.

“SEEO is extremely grateful for Sprint’s generosity and for this
opportunity to give our students the digital access they desperately
need,” said Tom Sweeney, SEEO principal. “These services provide our
students an enhanced educational experience and a foundation for greater
opportunities when they leave this school and pursue careers.”

The ConnectED initiative, launched by President Obama, is designed to
prepare students for the digital economy of the future and to enrich
K-12 education for every student in America. More than $750 million in
private-sector commitments will deliver cutting-edge technologies to
students, including devices, free software, teacher professional
development, and home wireless connectivity. American companies, including
Sprint, have answered the president’s challenge to “dig deep” in
support of ConnectED to expand opportunities for students and to train a
21^st century workforce.

To learn more about the Sprint ConnectED program visit: www.sprint.com/connected.

About Sprint

Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more
and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about
most. Sprint served more than 57 million connections as of June 30,
2015, and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying
innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a
national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands
including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless;
instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a
global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past four years. You
can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com
or www.facebook.com/sprint
and www.twitter.com/sprint.

Contacts

Sprint
Marci VerBrugge-Rhind, 913-794-6319
Marci.j.verbrugge@sprint.com