CARES Act Hotspot Grants Page

Background:

On May 4, 2020, Oklahoma was awarded $160,950,476 in federal K-12 relief funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Within that funding, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) was allocated a set-aside amount of $15,290,296 for “emergency needs” to address issues related to coronavirus. Of the set-aside funds, the OSDE has purchased 50,000 Verizon Ellipsis Jetpack 900L hotspots to award to districts through a competitive grant.The OSDE intends for these hotspots to be used to provide connectivity to students who do not currently have an internet connection at home to access online learning content for purposes of distance learning. In addition, the OSDE intends for these hotspots to be used to serve low-income students to help bridge the digital divide.

Links:

• Press Release from Superintendent
• List of Districts Awarded Hotspots
• CARES Act Hotspot Grant Requirements

Verizon Education Information for Oklahoma School Districts Only:

• Verizon Government Customer Support-1.800.922.0204 governmentaccountsupport@verizonwireless.com
• My Business Account Online -www.verizonwireless.com/mybusiness
• Verifying Account Authorization -All authorized points of contact are managed and approved by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Please contact OSDE for support.
• Verizon Coverage Check -https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-16455/
• Verizon Technical Support -Available 24/7 1-800-525-0481