PGCPS educators call for better internet for students and staff

Battle over digital divide in Prince George’s County

In Prince George’s County, as teachers begin the school year Thursday and students prepare to start in less than two weeks, internet access remains a struggle for some students and staff.

LARGO, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - In Prince George’s County, as teachers begin the school year Thursday and students prepare to start in less than two weeks, internet access remains a struggle for some students and staff.

On Wednesday, the teachers union held a rally to make serious demands of the region’s internet providers-they want free internet for students and teachers, and at a minimum, increased speeds for the discount internet packages.

Member of the Prince George’s Co. Education Association organized a car rally that ended in front of the Xfinity store in Largo.

While both Xfinity by Comcast and Verizon offer low-cost internet for those in need, $10 and $20 a month respectively, teachers said the internet speeds aren’t adequate to properly teach or learn.

“It doesn’t cut it at all, it doesn’t,” said Zena Whitworth, a high school teacher. “I can’t even do Zoom.”

Whitworth said she can’t teach from home with her low-cost internet plan.

"Thank God the library is open. I can continue going to the library or I can just go to friends’ homes, just use their internet for the day,” said Whitworth. “You just figure it out."

Student Ayeme Owona told FOX 5 that as student body president at Kettering Middle School, he heard from students who had big challenges with distance learning last school year.

“They tell me how bad it is and they tell me how they can’t get on,” he said. “So I have many friends who asked me to get video and record the classes for them and either send them or help them understand what was going on.”

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When it comes to the digital divide, there are different factors. Some students were using their parent's phones to learn. For this school year, Prince George’s County, like many districts, is providing computers and paying for internet for students in need.

But teachers and students said internet companies can do more to help low-income students and teachers.

“Considering the fact that this is online learning, the online must be concrete,” said Owona.

Xfinity said their low-cost plan is 25/3 Mbps which is considered broadband internet. A spokesperson provided a statement reading:

“For nearly a decade, there has been no company more committed to bridging the digital divide across the nation than Comcast. Since its inception in 2011, our Internet Essentials program, which is the nation’s largest of its kind, has connected millions of low-income households to the Internet, most for the very first time. To confront the COVID-19 epidemic, we proactively offered 60 days of free service to any new customers, waived all back due debt, and opened our 1.5 million Wi-Fi hotspots in outdoor and small business locations across the country – and will continue to do so through the end of the year. However, solving a problem as vast and complex as the digital divide requires collaboration – with the school district, elected officials, nonprofit community partners, and other private-sector companies – so everyone is part of the solution.”

Verizon provided a statement saying:

“Enabling distance learning for students across the U.S. is a top priority. We are working to offer discounted internet access to school districts in every state. We have already announced deeply discounted Internet connectivity agreements available in 14 states and will soon announce availability in Maryland.”