If you don’t have broadband access, you can’t connect. To your friends, families, social institutions, communities, and the world. This is especially hard on school children, who, because of the pandemic as well as the way most schools teach today, need the internet now more than ever to learn and grow.
WISPA and its member companies are working to boost broadband adoption for those who need it most. We’re proud to partner with EducationSuperHighway to support its K-12 Bridge to Broadband Program, an innovative new program to get at-risk students connected to the internet for remote learning.
The K-12 Bridge to Broadband Program facilitates partnerships between school districts and companies that want to help students afford broadband connectivity for schooling needs. School districts safely share student addresses with participating ISPs, who confirm if they can serve related addresses within 10 days. The school district then issues a Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure connectivity for the students who lack home access. Pilot projects with states and school districts are underway in nine states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Mexico, and New York.
Participating companies simply –
Create a sponsored offering, providing a discounted service plan for school districts and their at-risk students.
Work with school districts to identify which students need service.
Agree to a set of eligibility standards.
Streamline the amount of information necessary to sign up families.
And, protect the privacy of those covered by the program, avoiding targeted marketing to those using the sponsored offerings.
