ALLO To Provide Free Internet To Non-Profits
(Lincoln, NE. October 17, 2019) Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and ALLO Communications have announced the Community Connect Program, which will provide free one gigabit internet service for 10 years to 75 nonprofits in the community. The program was a key component of the City’s broadband franchise agreement with ALLO.
“We’re excited to see what these 75 nonprofits are capable of with ALLO fiber internet,” said Brad Moline, ALLO Communications President. “Providing this free service to organizations that make a difference is a great way for us to give back to Lincoln. We know the Community Connect Program will do a lot of good for a lot of people, and this is a great opportunity to work on a team effort with the City of Lincoln.”
“Lincoln is fortunate to be home to an amazing nonprofit community,” said Mayor Gaylor Baird. “I want to thank ALLO for partnering with the City to support our nonprofits in a meaningful way – one that allows these agencies’ work to make an even bigger impact for our most vulnerable residents. The program will reduce costs for Lincoln nonprofits and give them the internet service they need to help in the community. It will also give countless individuals and families free access to high-speed internet connections they might not have elsewhere.”
ALLO will select 35 qualified nonprofits. The remaining 40 will be selected through a lottery system. All 75 selected nonprofits will be announced in January 2020.
To qualify, nonprofits must be located in Lincoln, have fewer than 75 full-time-equivalent employees, be certified with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and meet other criteria. The application form for the lottery, which includes the full list of criteria, is available at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: allo). Application forms may also be picked up during regular business hours at the Mayor’s Office, third floor of the County-City Building, 555 S. 10th Street, or at ALLO Communications office at 330 S. 21st Street
Applications must be mailed or delivered by 5 p.m. Friday, November 15 or postmarked on or before that day.
Also to be announced at a future date to be determined is a third component of ALLO’s franchise agreement, wireless zones. ALLO will designate three areas of the city in which wireless internet will be available for free, public use.