With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the closure of thousands of schools, online education at home is how millions of students will be learning for the coming months. Since distance learning requires a reliable broadband connection, ensuring that all families are connected has become a national priority. America’s cable broadband providers have expanded programs that provide low-cost solutions and are working with schools and other community partners to ensure that every student can use the internet to participate in school from the safety of their home.
The K-12 Bridge to Broadband initiative was developed by NCTA and EducationSuperHighway (ESH), a national non-profit that led the work to close the classroom connectivity gap, to connect?more students to the internet for remote and hybrid learning.
This initiative has established a national framework of principles that enables cable broadband providers to work directly with school districts.?
School districts can?confidentially share with cable providers information to quickly identify students without broadband at home.?
School districts then are able to purchase internet service, at a discounted rate, for low-income families through sponsored service agreements.?
The initiative builds on recent successful school district partnerships in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Des Moines and several other cities and will be applicable to all K-12 schools throughout a cable broadband provider’s coverage area.
Read the full announcement about the program.
Connecting Students and Learning During COVID-19
As the pandemic abruptly sent students home from schools in March, cable ISPs stepped up and offered free service through the end of the school year for families without internet service.
For years, NCTA member companies have offered broadband adoption programs that provide internet service for low-income households. These programs feature: Low Costs, Free Devices, Eligibility Programs, and Skill Training.
Some of our company programs:
