Atlanta, GA – Today Governor Brian P. Kemp and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) launched a new website to inform Georgians about ways to connect to high-speed internet throughout the state.

“The fight against COVID-19 is impacting Georgians’ ability to access healthcare, receive educational instruction, and serve customers in traditional ways,” said Governor Kemp. “High-speed internet is important for Georgians to continue receiving care, learning, and teleworking while they follow guidelines for social distancing. We’re grateful so many internet and mobile phone providers have stepped up to meet Georgians’ connectivity needs in this critical time.”

To support social distancing requirements, broadband providers are offering various options for Georgians to connect to the internet. By visiting broadband.georgia.gov, Georgians can find locations to which they can drive for accessing WiFi around the state, made available from telecommunications cooperatives and government agencies. While many public libraries are currently closed, some are still offering limited services such as WiFi outside their buildings.

“Georgia’s public libraries have long been a center of learning,” said Julie Walker, Georgia’s State Librarian. “The vast majority of public libraries across the state have WiFi that is free and openly available from the parking lot, often twenty-four hours each day.”

When visiting these public WiFi locations, please stay in your vehicle or otherwise follow Governor Kemp’s order to keep a distance of at least six feet away from others. It is vital that all Georgians continue to follow social distancing practices to stay safe and healthy. Please be mindful of local governments’ directives, which may restrict non-essential travel and social gatherings.

“Most internet service providers and mobile phone carriers are generously making it easy and free for Georgians to connect to the internet,” said DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn. “The state is working to assist Georgians in finding these important options.”

On the new DCA website, Georgians can also link to easy-to-use search tools to sign up for low-cost internet service at home. Offers include time-limited free internet services and waiving of disconnect and late fees. Eligibility factors may apply and vary according to internet service providers’ policies.

“Broadband is an essential part of our everyday lives and is an especially vital lifeline to remain healthy and continue working and learning at home,” said Georgia Broadband Deployment Executive Director Deana Perry. “During this unprecedented time, the state has identified existing resources and continues to work on longer-range solutions to get more Georgians connected to high-speed internet.”

“With Georgia’s schools closed through April 24, students who lack internet access are at risk of falling behind,” said Dr. Caitlin Dooley, Georgia Department of Education Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. “One of the biggest challenges coming to light during the pandemic is the internet connectivity barriers facing rural areas of the state. Internet connectivity for Georgia’s students and teachers is more important than ever. ”

Many of Georgia’s schools are offering free WiFi connectivity to their students in their school’s parking lots. To find out which schools are offering parking lot WiFi, Georgia families are encouraged to contact their local school system.

Internet access is also critical to enable much-needed expansion of telehealth services.

“By informing patients of how to more easily and affordably connect to the internet, healthcare professionals will be able to provide basic medical care to them from remote locations and also offer critical specialty services,” said Suleima Salgado, Director of Telehealth, Telemedicine, and Rural Health Initiatives for the Georgia Department of Public Health.

This information published today reflects what the Department of Community Affairs has collected as of March 28, 2020, and Georgians are encouraged to check back on the website regularly, as more WiFi options will be posted as we continue our research.

– The state National Guard is deploying medical support teams to fight COVID-19.

Here is the full announcement from Gov. Kemp’s Office:

Atlanta, GA – On March 14, 2020, Governor Brian Kemp authorized the activation of up to 2,000 members of the Georgia National Guard in order to combat COVID-19. At this time, over 170 service members are activated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have mobilized to support requests from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) and Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH).

“I am deeply grateful to the men and women of the Georgia National Guard fighting this pandemic,” said Governor Kemp. “Working with GEMA, DPH, and our partners in the medical field, the Georgia National Guard is providing critical support in our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact on our state.”
Unit Operations

Presently, Guardsmen from the Georgia Army and Air National Guard operate from the State Operations Center in Atlanta. Service members primarily serve as liaisons to receive and dispatch requests from state agencies to the Georgia National Guard’s Joint Operations Center for resourcing.

The Georgia National Guard is currently engaging two Medical Support Teams at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia. The two teams – arriving on-site yesterday, March 26, and today, March 27 – are comprised of twenty-two service members, one doctor, two physician’s assistants, four nurses, thirteen military medics, and a medical supply specialist. The Georgia National Guard also provided five ventilators for use at Phoebe Putney and has an additional five service members currently supporting Pruitt Palmyra Nursing Home in Albany.

These teams provide support to the professional medical staff at each facility in order to enable them to focus on critical life-saving requirements. It is important to note that these teams do not exist in the military. They are “purpose built” and have been deployed to the point of need in just over a week.

In addition to these two teams deployed to Albany, the Georgia National Guard generated twelve more teams for deployment across the state.

– Georgia Power Employees have donated money to the Atlanta Food Bank to help families struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s the full announcement:

Thursday March 26, 2020 – Employees from Georgia Power in metro Atlanta are making a difference in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. While employees have been unable to complete hands-on volunteer projects during this time, they are supporting their neighbors by providing monetary donations to the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s COVID-19 Fund. The donations will be used to provide meals to help those families struggling to put food on the table due to schools and businesses closing. To date, employees have raised more than $3,300.

Citizens of Georgia Power is the employee volunteer arm of Georgia Power Company. With 42 chapters statewide and more than 3,400 members, consisting of employees and their spouses, volunteers contributed more than 143,000 hours equal to $3.5 million in 2019.

If you value having local news that isn’t behind a paywall, consider becoming a supporter of Decaturish. Your support keeps the news free for everyone. For as little as $3 a month, you can help us tell the story of your community. To learn more, click here.

Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every morning? Sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here. 

[adsanity id=”56022″ align=”aligncenter” /]

[adsanity id=”33719″ align=”alignleft” /] [adsanity id=”52166″ align=”alignright” /]