Boulder County nonprofit sues Sprint over internet access

Longmont based Mobile Citizen a group that works with non profits, educational institutions and social welfare agencies, provides mobile broadband service to communities in need across the nation for approximately $10 a month.

Mobile Citizen is part of Voqal, a consortium of nonprofits that use technology and media to advance social equity.

Voqal has filed a lawsuit against Sprint because the company is planning to shut down service to thousands of its customers.

Mobile Citizen, along with a similar project named Mobile Beacon, relies on a partnership with Sprint to provide unlimited broadband service to 429 schools, 61 libraries and 1,820 nonprofit organizations across the country.

Sprint is shutting down the WiMax Network on Nov. 6 and will disconnect large numbers of customers. Mobile Citizen’s Managing Director Cassie Bair says many of them are not in a position to obtain Internet service otherwise. “There are other offers out there but it may be that you spend exponentially more and get significantly less, it may be that you have to have all sorts of qualifiers to get it…so there are some options out there but nobody has an offer quite like ours, which is pretty amazing for folks that maybe struggling to get it any other way.”

Voqal has also launched an online petition to stop Sprint shutting down the service.