Internet Access
Hotspot Loaner Program
For families who cannot afford Internet at home, we are currently partnering with Mobile Beacon to provide wireless hotspots that students can borrow to complete their homework.
You can learn more about the Mobile Beacon hotspot program at the link below.
If you believe your family would qualify for the program, please contact your child's school counselor and they will provide you with an affidavit to sign.
expanded library hours
At the middle school and high school, expanded library hours are available. Students can stay after school for homework club in the library at PALMS or for expanded hours in the library computer lab at PHS and have access to computers and Internet. This service is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 4:30 PM and students can sign up to take a late bus home on these days.
current internet providers in palisades
Below are the current Internet providers in the Palisades School District area:
If you are able to afford high speed Internet, but none of these providers can get it to you because of your location, you also have the option to purchase a mobile hotspot plan from most cell phone providers. In many cases you can even use your existing smartphone as a mobile hotspot. Below is what some of these providers offer.
Satellite Internet is also an option. See some of the satellite Internet provider plans below.
Internet jargon and what it means
DSL - Digital Subscriber Line. This is Internet provided over your existing telephone line. With this service you can still use your phone while connected to the Internet. Your phone line gets connected to a DSL modem which is then connected to your computer or home network. Frontier and Verizon provide Internet in the Palisades School District area using DSL. DSL speeds tend to be on the slower side when compared to cable Internet or fiber optic Internet but DSL is available to the largest majority of the Palisades population.
Cable - Cable Internet comes over the cable TV wire that comes in to your home if you have cable TV. This wire is attached to a cable modem which can then be connected to your computer or your home network. Cable Internet is currently provided through Service Electric or RCN in some locations and is also the fastest option available right now.
Hotspot - A hotspot is a small device that uses a cell phone provider's wireless network to provide wireless internet to the computer(s) in your home. Speeds for this type of Internet can vary based on cell phone coverage at your location and the type of network the cell phone providers have available in your area. As of now the fastest speeds are delivered over a 4G LTE network. To see a comparison of cell phone provider network types and speeds please click here.
Satellite Internet - Satellite Internet is provided by satellites orbiting the earth. A satellite dish would need to be installed and a satellite modem would connect from the dish to your computer or home network. Most satellite Internet providers have free installation. Satellite speeds can vary based on the time of day but they're typically about the same or slightly better than DSL.
Fiber Optic - This is a service provided by Verizon but it's not yet available to Palisades residents. Verizon calls their service FiOS (Fiber Optic Service). This service provides Internet over a fiber optic cable run directly to your home. Fiber optic cables are made of glass strands about the thickness of a human hair and signals are sent over those glass fibers using pulses of light. Other providers, such as Service Electric, now use fiber optic cables as a part of their network allowing them to provide higher speeds than were previously possible over existing copper wires.