Education |

Colorado pledges $2 million, enlists T-Mobile to help schools get low-income families online for remote learning

The pandemic has upended nearly every aspect of the 2020-2021 school year, forcing parents, students and educators to adapt. Whether that means hybrid learning models or temporarily shifting to remote classes, Colorado officials say there’s no more important time for students to have dependable internet access.

To that end, Gov. Jared Polis, Education Commissioner Katy Anthes and Attorney General Phil Weiser on Wednesday announced two major initiatives to connect Colorado’s low-income families with broadband services and help close the digital divide.

In addition to partnering with T-Mobile to offer WiFi hotspots and data to thousands of households, the Colorado Department of Education pledged $2 million to support school districts in helping get their students online.

“Without broadband, without access, students are unable to participate in remote learning,” Polis said at a news conference. “They’re often unable to do their homework if they’re in school in-person. And they’re more likely to disengage and more likely to fall behind.”

That’s especially true during the pandemic, the governor said, acknowledging that COVID-19 could force students and teachers into quarantine and a remote-learning model overnight. Officials estimate more than 65,000 Colorado children cannot connect to the internet while at home and about 53,000 lack a Wi-Fi-enabled device.

“No matter where you live — in rural Colorado, in the Sheridan School District, anywhere in our state — we need to make sure that access piece at home is there and in place,” Polis said.

One way officials plan to do that is through a partnership with T-Mobile.

Weiser was among several attorneys general who moved to block the company’s merger with Sprint. However, through negotiations, T-Mobile committed to providing free WiFi hotspots and up to 100 gigabytes of data annually to 34,000 low-income households in Colorado. Additionally, the company is providing families access to low-cost devices, such as tablets and laptops, Weiser said.

Eligibility to take advantage of this deal is based on qualification for free or reduced-price school lunches, he added.

Officials acknowledged this was the first step to closing the digital divide, but not the last. That’s why the state education department committed to providing $2 million to districts exploring creative solutions to connectivity problems, Anthes said. That could mean investing in hotspots for students, erecting towers or dispatching mobile trucks to help bring the internet to remote parts of the state, she said.

“The time is now because of all the challenges and the multiple ways we need our students to be able to learn in this time and age,” Anthes said.

The $2 million comes from federal coronavirus emergency aid designated for state-level activities. Districts will need to apply for the funds, she said.

These initiatives build upon others, such as Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which provides low-income families with internet for $10 a month. Rocky Mountain PBS is also helping bring virtual education to more parts of Colorado via television. Its “Colorado Classroom” education series, which airs science, math and reading lessons for kids in kindergarten through third grade, debuts Sept. 7.