Students get free, city-wide WiFi under new ALLO partnership with Lincoln Public Schools

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lincoln Public Schools is partnering with ALLO Communications to bring free Wi-Fi to students.

The district announced the “Smart Schools Broadband Program” on Friday, which offers free internet city-wide to kids in grades 6-12.

The program allows students to use their school-issued laptops on ALLO’s service at any business, home or public place around town.

LPS said this will eliminate barriers for families who might not be able to afford their own internet.

“By reducing the broadband barrier, we ensure every one of our middle and high school students has the foundational support necessary for success,” Superintendent John Skretta said. “This is the very definition of ‘all means all’ commitment in action.”

Gov. Jim Pillen and Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird joined Skretta to explain the long-term importance of this program.

In this day and age, the district said technology is crucial in the learning environment, and this program will set kids up for success in the future.

Pillen said he hopes this idea will spread and students across the state could benefit.

LPS gave instructions for students who want to opt in to the program:

Students who are interested in utilizing the free service should go to their student portal and submit a StuHelp ticket. When they are submitting a ticket, they will select “other,” then “Allo SmartTown for Education,” then write “I would like to access to Allo SmartTown for Education” in the comments before hitting the submit button.

Once the student submits the help ticket, an email will be sent to the student’s parent/guardian for approval. After LPS students are approved for the free service, they will download and install the SmartTown for Education app. From the app they will be able to securely connect their school-issued Chromebooks to ALLO’s fiber-optic broadband services throughout Lincoln and other ALLO communities.

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