MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Schools and internet providers held a countywide “Power Up Hour” to gauge internet capacity ahead of the virtual school year.
The goal was to have as many people as possible log onto their devices at the same time so internet providers could gauge the capacity before school starts in the next few weeks.
Internet capacity is an issue WREG has been asking the district and major carriers about for weeks. Stress tests like these help cut down on possible future problems.
John Williams, with AGAPE–a non-profit helping families in Whitehaven, Frayser and Hickory Hill–believes some of the families his organization serves took part in the test, but others have not received devices yet.
“The stress test is a good idea you know we’re using,” said Williams. “Everybody is using systems they’ve never used before and even the vendors of those systems have really never had them pushed before like today’s environment is pushing it.”
The non-profit, supporting SCS, plans to provide 1,000 families with internet hotspots and computers by the end of the month. Living in the COVID-19/work from home era, they want to give the whole family help, not just a single student.
“A lot of our families have parents that are looking for jobs or that need job training,” Williams said. “They’re in temporary housing we provided so they need to look for apartments.”
Williams says AGAPE’s CEO, David Jordan–a 25-year veteran of the non-profit–spearheaded the initiative to connect more families.
“They want to bridge the digital divide for the families that we serve,” Williams said.
Bandwidth might be one issue that needs to be worked out by companies, but Williams believes training for all families is key.
“The important thing is making sure people know how to use the equipment,” Williams said.
SCS released a statement on the test:
This morning, in collaboration with community stakeholders and internet providers, Shelby County Schools facilitated a network pressure test between 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. to gauge internet bandwidth capacity with increased traffic online. Preliminary reports from vendors show that there was an uptick in the amount of online traffic during the test, however, no limitations in capacity or noticeable issues with network performance were detected in the Shelby County area. Our internet providers will continue to monitor the network for any foreseeable issues as we continue to bring more devices online. Shelby County Schools has also requested for providers offering cost-effective internet plans to families to provide unlimited data to those families through December 31, in support of effective distance learning across the county. Shelby County Schools will continue to work with providers to ensure network preparedness ahead of the first day of school. A second pressure test will be held on Thursday, August 27. The District is here to assist students and families with technical issues and questions about virtual learning platforms. Our Support Hotline is available M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., at (901) 416-5300.
Another stress test is planned for August 27th, from 9 AM to 10 AM.
