It’s August, and the back-to-school season is in full swing!
Families are busy stocking up on essential supplies —pencils, notebooks, backpacks, and lunchboxes—to ensure children are fully prepared for the new school year. But in today’s digital age, one essential tool often gets overlooked: high-speed internet.
Why it matters: Access to high-speed internet enables students to participate in virtual learning, access digital resources, complete assignments, and engage in extracurricular activities.
Back-to-school season is a great time to explore the low-cost internet options available to help families connect.
How to Navigate Internet Assistance Programs
Eligible families can benefit from a variety of high-speed internet programs offered by broadband providers, including:
- Comcast’s Internet Essentials: Offers high-speed internet at $9.95/month to individuals receiving NSLP, housing assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, or other select government programs. The service includes free installation and access to digital literacy training.
- Cox’s Connect2Compete Internet Plan: Offers high-speed internet for $9.95/month to families with a child in grades K-12 who participate in the NSLP, SNAP, or other select federal programs.
- Spectrum Internet Assist: Offers high-speed internet for $17.99/month to households with children in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and seniors receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Of note: If you qualified for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), you may be eligible for federal assistance through the Lifeline program.
Expanding Access: A Critical Opportunity for America’s Families
Fortunately, broadband providers already connect a significant portion of American families to high-speed internet.
Now, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build on this progress and extend broadband networks to those who still lack access.
The funding is there, the political will is there, and, most importantly, the need is there. By effectively channeling rural broadband funding, we can address a significant piece of the puzzle and move closer to achieving 100% connectivity for all.
To learn about our #ConnectivityCounts campaign and discover how you can help support efforts to expand high-speed internet across the country, visit the #ConnectivityCounts hub.
