Mission Telecom Introduces $7/Month Wireless Plan for Schools and Libraries

Mission Telecom—a nonprofit that provides wireless internet hotspots primarily to schools and libraries—announced a $7 per month plan called Mission-Connect. Mission Telecom was founded in the 1980s as Instructional Telecommunications Foundation, Inc. Originally, the organization bought 2.5 Gigahertz spectrum licenses from the Federal Communications Commission to bring educational television to its markets. The FCC has changed its rules regarding spectrum licenses over the years to allow them to be used for 3G wireless internet. As a result, Mission Telecom began leasing their licenses to T-Mobile. Today, Mission Telecom provides wireless internet via the T-Mobile network. Mission Telecom provides inexpensive wireless internet coverage to schools, libraries, and some nonprofit organizations so they, in turn, can connect underserved and unserved people. Recent federal funding challenges are making this work more difficult for schools and libraries, said Mission's Director of Broadband Operations, Mark Colwell.