Washington District Gets Home Broadband for Student Chromebooks

Washington state’s Highline Public schools has become the first district to deploy a new service that  provides students with mobile broadband access for school work using their Chromebook devices.

Syntonic On-Ramp Education Services is known as a sponsored data provider, and integrates 4G broadband--theirs from AT&T--with mobile and other devices for the purposes of increasing students’ access to online educational resources and websites. Those sites falling outside of school or district whitelists are filtered. Schools can also manage access based on variables like time of day and geography and set usage limits by student or classroom.   

The contract with Highline will start small--out of 19,000 total students, around 1,000 will receive access through their Chromebooks, which come with embedded 4G radios. More than half of the students in the pilot do not have dedicated Internet connections at home.

"Technology is transforming education at Highline Public Schools. Off-campus connectivity for Highline students is essential for them to achieve the district's scholastic achievement goals as outlined by our community and in our strategic plan," said Mark Finstrom, the district's CTO, in a statement. "The Syntonic connected education service solves that problem and gives Highline Public Schools an efficient, flexible and reliable technology platform to deliver and manage online education resources."

About the Author

Stephen Noonoo is an education technology journalist based in Los Angeles. He is on Twitter @stephenoonoo.

Featured

  • A teacher and students gather around a glowing crystal ball containing a miniature school building surrounded by clear AI symbols, including holographic interfaces, neural networks, circuits, and data streams

    2025 Predictions: AI's Impact on Education

    What should schools and districts expect from the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the coming year? Here's what the experts told us.

  • digital illustration of Estonia with glowing neural network-like connections spreading across the map

    Estonia to Roll Out ChatGPT Edu for all Secondary Schools

    In a nationwide artificial intelligence program dubbed "AI Leap 2025," the country of Estonia plans to provide free access to leading AI applications for all secondary school students and teachers. The initiative will launch with a rollout of ChatGPT Edu to 20,000 high school students in grades 10-11 and their 3,000 teachers, beginning Sept. 1.

  • A middle school student wearing safety goggles and a lab coat uses a microscope in a science lab, surrounded by beakers and test tubes filled with colorful liquids

    2025 Young Scientist Challenge Seeks Students Using Science to Solve Everyday Problems

    The entry period is now open for the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge, a science competition from 3M and Discovery Education for students in grades 5-8 recognizing individuals across the United States who have "demonstrated a passion for using science to solve everyday problems and improve the world around them."

  • young child sitting at a table, using a tablet with an AI-generated interface

    Research: 1 in 3 Kids Use AI for Learning

    In a survey of parents with children aged 8 or younger, nearly a third of respondents (29%) said their child has used AI for school-related learning, according to a new report from Common Sense Media.