ACTEM and all ISTE affiliates have been asked to pass along the following
information from Digital Wish...

I asked about the carrier and connectivity in Maine with these hotspots
from Digital Wish and was told the following:

> It's the Sprint network. Here's the coverage map. It seems to cover lower
> Maine at least!
> https://www.mobilebeacon.org/lte-coverage/


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*Hotspot Donations and $10/Month Wireless for Educators* - With nationwide
school closures due to COVID-19, nonprofits Mobile Beacon and Digital Wish
have a major hotspot donation program available that can significantly
increase remote connectivity for students and teachers. Visit *MailScanner
has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www.digitialwish.org" claiming
to be* www.digitalwish.org <http://www.digitialwish.org/> and get up to 11
donated hotspots per school. Discounted $10/month unlimited 4G LTE internet
service is provided so that teachers and students can connect and learn
from anywhere in the Mobile Beacon coverage area. With a lending pool of
hotspots, students-in-need can access the internet to embark on a distance
learning journey during isolation.

Each hotspot has *unlimited*, high-speed 4G LTE mobile broadband service,
and can connect up to 10 people on the internet on only one plan.

This donation program is open to all public, private, and non-profit K-12
schools and universities. For higher-need schools that exceed the cap of 11
hotspots per school, behind the scenes Digital Wish is purchasing modems
that will qualify for the subsidized $10/month broadband service. If you
need more, please contact: Heather Chirtea 802-379-3000,
[log in to unmask]

Mobile Beacon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the second-largest Educational
Broadband Service (EBS) provider in the United States. The nonprofit has
been given an EBS spectrum license by the FCC, specifically to support
broadband use in schools. Nonprofit Digital Wish teamed up to make the 4G
LTE hotspot device donation program available to schools throughout the
United States. If your schools have connectivity issues, this subsidized
service will allow you to fill the gaps with wireless hotspot donations and
equitably connect all students. Schools can easily create a *Hotspot
Lending Pool* for students needing internet access at home.

*Here's how to set up a lending pool.*
https://digitalwishes.wordpress.com/donations/
Please share this announcement with your colleagues who are struggling to
acquire access for remote students.
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Gary Lanoie, Executive Director
ACTEM - The Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine
P.O. Box 187, Gorham, ME 04038
Phone: (207) 222-4353    FAX:  (207) 222-2057     Email:  [log in to unmask]
   *ACTEM 2020 Spring Leadership Conference  *•*  May 6, 2020   •   Holiday
Inn by the Bay - Portland, ME*