FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, October 6, 2023

Media Contacts:

Sam Nga Blum

Director of Communications, Urban League of Louisiana

[email protected]

Mark Giga

AT&T Corporate Communications

Phone: 612-206-0193

Email: [email protected]

AT&T Opens Connected Learning Center in New Orleans with Urban League of Louisiana to Help Bridge the Digital Divide

New dedicated learning center at Urban League of Louisiana New Orleans Office will provide greater connectivity, computers and digital learning resources for the community

NEW ORLEANS - What’s the news? AT&T is opening a new Connected Learning Center inside the Urban League of Louisiana in New Orleans to provide internet access and education tools to those who face connectivity barriers holding them back from participating in the digital world. In addition, AT&T has made a $50,000 contribution to the Urban League of Louisiana for additional support of the center.

This is the 29th Connected Learning Center that AT&T has opened, with plans to reach a total of more than 50 centers across the U.S. by mid-2024. This AT&T Connected Learning Center® is part of a broader ecosystem of offerings designed to meet community needs and address the digital divide. The goal of the centers is to help connect more students and families through free access to the internet and computers, as well as educational resources that teach the skills needed to use it safely and responsibly.  

Why is this important? In New Orleans, it’s estimated that more than 1,800 K-12 students¹ don’t have access to the internet or computers at home to benefit from the online world, and nearly 22 million seniors² nationwide lack internet connection at home – an issue known as the digital divide.

“Access to internet connectivity is essential for so many areas of daily life, which is why my administration set a goal of closing the digital divide by 2029. This work is a priority for governments at all levels, for our business community, and for non-profits and community organizations across the state,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “I applaud AT&T and the Urban League of Louisiana for coming together to connect more Louisianans to the resources they need to fully participate in our digital world.”

“The men and women of AT&T are committed to the communities across Louisiana where we live and work, and our commitment goes beyond expanding and enhancing our wired and wireless networks,” said David Aubrey, president, AT&T Louisiana. “We are also committed to supporting the community organizations – like the Urban League of Louisiana – that are building stronger communities and better futures.”

“We are proud to work with AT&T on this new Connected Learning Center to provide internet access and digital resources to those who need it most,” said Judy Reese Morse, President and CEO, Urban League of Louisiana. “As we continue to celebrate the Urban League of Louisiana’s 85^th anniversary this year, this new center is a major milestone that will help us provide our community with even more opportunities to succeed.”

AT&T opens these centers within local nonprofit organizations that are already adept at supporting underserved populations within their community, including some of our nation’s most vulnerable students and families.

How AT&T will make it happen

The centers are designed to help tackle the digital divide by providing free access to a range of digital resources for students and families all under one roof, including: high-speed AT&T Fiber internet, Wi-Fi, computers, education resources, and tutoring and mentoring from AT&T employees and other community leaders.

The free educational resources within the center will provide students with engaging content and activities to support learning outside the classroom and help parents and caregivers build skills and confidence using technology. These include The Achievery, a free digital learning platform created by AT&T, as well as free digital literacy courses and workshops created with the Public Library Association.

As part of its ongoing commitment to championing digital inclusion for underserved communities, Dell Technologies donated Dell OptiPlex computers which feature integrated audio and webcams to support digital learning. Additionally, World Wide Technology, a Black-owned company and the largest minority supplier of IT services globally, is providing configuration and installation services.

The new center is part of the AT&T Connected Learning® initiative to address the digital divide through investments in internet accessibility, affordability and the safe adoption of technology.

The mission of Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA) is to assist African Americans and other communities seeking equity to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. ULLA focuses its programs to ensure quality education and access to information, employment, entrepreneurial and economic inclusion opportunities, and shared dignity under the law. ULLA provides services to citizens through programs housed in three essential Centers of Excellence, which take a holistic approach to addressing issues that concern low to moderate-income families: The Center for Education and Youth Development, the Center for Workforce and Economic Development, and the Center for Policy and Social Justice.

We offer affordable internet options

AT&T is committed to connecting more Americans to reliable, high-quality broadband internet in several ways, including expanding and upgrading our network and participating in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP provides eligible households with a benefit of up to $30 a month (up to $75 on qualifying Tribal lands) to reduce the cost of broadband service and can be applied to AT&T Fiber or Access from AT&T, which provides internet speeds of up to 100Mbps, where available, for $0. After confirming ACP eligibility, those who qualify can go to att.com/getacp or call us at 866-986-0963 to sign up for service. Have your ACP application ID handy.

Learn more at att.com/connectedlearning.

¹ Digital Bridge K-12

² Aging Connected

About Urban League of Louisiana

The mission of Urban League of Louisiana is to assist African Americans and other communities seeking equity to secure economic self-reliance, parity and civil rights. We implement our mission through programs in the areas of education and youth development, workforce and economic development, public policy and advocacy initiatives. 

About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T

We’re committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities and improving lives. As part of our companywide commitment to address the digital divide, we launched AT&T Connected Learning to invest in connectivity and technology, digital literacy and education solutions to help today’s learners succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Since 2008, we’ve committed to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.