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Laredo, TX — Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced $10,300,510 for Laredo Independent School District (LISD) and United Independent School District (UISD) to purchase laptops, routers, modems, tablets, and broadband services at school libraries. The funding can also be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensure students have the necessary support to keep up with their education.

 UISD will be receiving $9,746,110 and LISD $554,400.

 “The pandemic highlighted that internet access is essential for modern day education. Yet, too many children don’t have the internet access at home that they require for nightly school work,” said Congressman Cuellar. “This fundingwill help ensure that every student has after-school access to the technology they need to do their homework. This is the largest effort in our nation’s history by the federal government to help address the digital divide that has been created in our education system and I will continue to support programs that make sure every child has access to the tools they need to receive a quality education in today’s digital age.”

 ”Laredo ISD is grateful to Congressman Cuellar and the FCC for securing these funds for the children of our community. This funding will be used to support Laredo ISD's robust and innovative curriculum. Laredo ISD will utilize these funds to bridge the connectivity gap and empower our students by providing internet access & devices to allow our students to have access to all our educational resources,” said LISD Executive Director of Technology Services, Mr. Ambrose Gomez.

"These monies will provide our students with fundamental resources that are crucial to education in our modern world. On behalf of our entire United community, I thank Congressman Cuellar for securing these funds and ensuring our students have everything they need to learn, grow, and succeed,” said UISD Superintendent David H. Gonzalez.

Specifically, LISD will use the funds to purchase approximately 2,100 hotspots to provide students with Wi-Fi access and to pay for the monthly fee to keep the hotspots working. UISD will purchase 21,600 laptops for students, 3,000 laptops for teachers and support staff, 40 Wi-Fi routers, 11,000 hotspots, and equipment to install Wi-Fi in school busses.  

The funding was awarded through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC)  Emergency Connectivity Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country. The Emergency Connectivity Program was created and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

To date, FCC has provided digital devices and broadband connections to approximately 15 million students through the Emergency Connectivity Program, which launched last year.

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