Telluride Foundation & Clearnetwork: Responding to Student Internet Needs

20 Mar Telluride Foundation & Clearnetwork: Responding to Student Internet Needs

Improving Internet access to allow for distance learning. If you are a family in need of internet service for your children’s schoolwork or for you to be able to work remotely, please contact Erika Lapsys at the Telluride Foundation: erika@telluridefoudnation.org or (303) 653-7064.

Telluride Foundation sign by metal artist Lisa Issenberg

Residents of Telluride and surrounding communities are adjusting to a change in lifestyle as a result of the coronavirus. Social distancing, staying home, take-out meals, and on-line learning are just a few of the new realities facing families. However, for some families remote learning is a challenge due to their lack of internet access. To help families shift to schooling from home for an unknown number of weeks, local internet service providers, the Telluride Foundation and regional school districts are working together to serve every student lacking internet access.

The Telluride Foundation and Clearnetworx, an internet service provider based in Montrose, Colorado, are contacting families lacking internet in Telluride, Norwood, Ouray, and Ridgway school districts to provide them with equipment, set up, and free service. The Telluride Foundation is managing communication with schools and student lists, as well as funding equipment purchase and labor for installation and setup. Clearnetworx is managing the technologies to get internet to each family and will provide the service for free in many cases.

Nucla-Naturita Telephone Company committed to serving students enrolled in the West End School District and has already solved this issue for these students. NNTC’s is a long-time independent provider of phone and broadband services to the region.

The Telluride School District has identified students in Mountain Village lacking internet access. The Town of Mountain Village responded immediately by providing each family with a cable modem and free internet service.

Charter Communications, through their Spectrum Cable division, has also offered to provide internet service for free to families in places they already have equipment installed.

The quick responses by Clearnetworx, Nucla-Naturita Telephone Company, the Town of Mountain Village, Charter Communications, and the Telluride Foundation to provide students in our region with internet access to continue their studies and stay in contact with their schoolmates and teachers during this time of isolation and social distancing underlines the importance of affordable, reliable high-speed internet service.

The Telluride Foundation exists to create a stronger Telluride and regional community through the promotion and support of philanthropy. 2020 marks 20 years of making more possible through the Telluride Foundation’s commitment to enrich the quality of life of the residents, visitors and workforce of the Telluride region. The Telluride Foundation is a nonprofit, apolitical community foundation that makes grants to nonprofits, owns and operates programs that meet emerging and unmet community needs, and makes investments. The Foundation approaches this work through the lens of its core values of inclusion, self-reliance, and innovation. Its work is funded through the generous support of individual donors as well as grants from state and national foundations.

The Foundation hopes the community will join it in celebrating its 20th anniversary as it honors the nonprofits, donors, and community members who have all partnered together to achieve a significant positive impact on the region. For more information click on www.telluridefoundation.org.