The City of Smyrna announced in a press release today that a group of elected officials and staff have delivered wi-fi hotspots to Campbell High School and Belmont Elementary School.

The hotspots are intended to improve the ability of students to learn in a virtual environment while the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The Smyrna City Council voted 7-0 at their August 17 meeting to spend $162,000 of the nearly $3 million it received through the CARES Act to create 900 WiFi hotspots for students in the city.

The press release announcing the delivery of hotspots to the two schools states:

Through the Federal CARES Act funding allocated to the City of Smyrna through Cobb County, the City of Smyrna approved and purchased Wi-Fi hotspots to distribute to Smyrna area Cobb County public schools to provide connection for students.  Today, Mayor Derek Norton, members of Council Tim Gould (Ward 6 – Mayor Pro-Tem), Travis Lindley (Ward 3) along with Interim City Administrator Joe Bennett and Interim Assistant City Administrator Penny Moceri delivered Wi-Fi hotspots to Campbell High School and Belmont Elementary in Smyrna. (Photos provided)

The Smyrna City Council authorized the purchase of 900 Wi-Fi Hotspots. Based on input from the leadership of Smyrna area Cobb County schools, the City purchased and is in the process of distributing – through the schools – 300 hot spots.

This project is covered by the Federal CARES Act with funds distributed through the Cobb County Government. Each Verizon MiFi Jetpack can accommodate five to 10 devices. There is no data limit.  Each device has an unlimited data plan. At present, service will be covered until December 30, 2020.  The devices are simple to use, and each device comes with a quick set-up guide.