WASHINGTON, DC – The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) is spearheading an initiative to promote education and broadband adoption by providing low-cost, discounted broadband Internet service to millions of students that don’t currently have broadband in their homes.
Called Connect-to-Compete (C2C), the program features $9.95 per month high-speed cable Internet service (along with a free rental or low cost purchase of a cable modem) for households with at least one child that receives free lunch under the National School Lunch Program in the U.S. The NCTA said Wednesday that it estimates that there are more than 10 million such students ranging from kindergarten to grade 12 in approximately 5.5 million homes that currently do not subscribe to broadband.
“Broadband is an increasingly integral part of getting a quality education, yet too few of the most needy students have broadband service at home”, the NCTA said in a statement. “Research shows the barriers to broadband adoption are a complex mix of digital literacy, perceived lack of relevance of the Internet, and access to affordable computers and Internet service. C2C is the largest initiative ever aimed at addressing the adoption challenge, and the provision of discounted, low-cost broadband in NSLP free-lunch households is a key element of the initiative.”
The discounted offer will be made available during a three-year sign-up window, and will roll out nationwide at the start of the 2012-2013 school year. Qualifying families who are not current or recent customers of the cable provider can sign up at any point during that enrollment period and can participate in this program for two years. There are no additional charges for standard installation or self-installation of the broadband service.
The NCTA and participating cable providers, which include BendBroadband, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast (via Internet Essentials), Cox, Eagle Communications, GCI, Insight, Mediacom, Midcontinent, Sjoberg’s Cable, Suddenlink, and Time Warner Cable, have pledged to publicize the program through local public service announcements, direct outreach and mailings to consumers, and through various local partnerships.
For more on the initiative, click here.
