C Spire provides students with free WiFi in select company retail store parking lots

RIDGELAND, Miss., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- C Spire is expanding a service to provide students forced out of school by the Covid-19 virus with free, high-speed WiFi internet so they can access online education content from the safety of their cars in the parking  lots of select company retail stores.

With many WiFi hot spots closed or curtailed to comply with social distancing policies, C Spire is adding the free high-speed internet access in the parking lots outside company retail stores in five new markets, including Bay St. Louis, Columbia, Greenville, Magee and Clinton.  The firm launched a pilot WiFi pop up program last week in Brandon and Starkville.

"Since the onset and spread of the Corona virus, working and learning from home is an adjustment many of our customers and their school-age children are making," said Brian Caraway, general manager of C Spire's wireless division. "Distance learning presents a challenge for students who lack reliable high-speed internet access at home."

Under the program, students and parents can pull into a C Spire store parking lot, park their vehicle in designated areas and log onto the free high-speed WiFi during normal business hours to help them work on school assignments.

Caraway said the program gives students a way to continue learning safely during the public health emergency. "This is another way we are working to bridge the digital divide so students can continue learning remotely until all of our schools reopen," he said, noting that more company and community locations will be added soon.

C Spire's sister company, Franklin Telephone, also is providing free WiFi outside the Franklin Chess Center, 63 Main Street, in Meadville.

The company also offers free next-day shipping for most online orders and same day delivery and curbside pickup at a wider selection of C Spire retail locations. You can find curbside pickup near you at cspire.com/curbside. To learn about other ways C Spire is working to keep communities connected during COVID-19, go to cspirecares.com.

About C Spire
C Spire provides a full suite of world-class, customer-inspired dedicated Internet, IP Voice, data, managed services, cloud services, value added resale and mobile communications to businesses and wireless, 1 Gigabit consumer Internet access and related home services for consumers.  This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at twitter.com/cspire.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/c-spire-provides-students-with-free-wifi-in-select-company-retail-store-parking-lots-301033328.html

SOURCE C Spire