MURRAY, Utah — Murray City School District made history Thursday by launching its own LTE broadband internet connection, the first school district in the United States to do so.
The project, called "Powerplay LTE," began in 2019 and was first conceived "as a way to close the homework gap and morphed into a solution to address school closures due to weather or extended student illnesses," a news release from the School District says.
The district is installing radio equipment to the top of all of its schools and is working to make the network available free of charge to all 6,000 MCSD students.
"2020 was tough on our students,” said Jason Eyre, MCSD Technology Coordinator, in a news release. “We quickly learned that some home internet connections were over-burdened, and that frustrated our district’s digital learning objectives. “Household connections where multiple students and other family members streaming Zoom meetings and school work, along with entertainment, simply couldn’t keep up. This LTE connection moves the academic demands to a different network which creates a more efficient internet experience for everyone.
Governor Spencer Cox attended Thursday's launch event, marking the project's first phase. The second phase is expected to be completed in the spring.
