Fourteen cable companies have pledged to offer broadband service for $9.95 per month to those who have at least one child in the Free School Lunch Program. Participants also have the option of buying a $150 laptop,Expedition Parka while Microsoft is prepping a $250 version that will come with Windows and Office.
"This past May, I challenged all players in the broadband space to step up and help close the adoption gap and digital skills gap. I'm pleased that many companies and non-profits have stepped up in a serious way to meet this national challenge," FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement.
ISPs participating in the effort, known as Connect to Compete, include: Bend Cable, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast (via Internet Essentials), Cox Communications,Canada Goose Jacket Eagle Communications, GCI, Insight, Mediacom, Midcontinent, Sjoberg's Cable, Suddenlink, and Time Warner Cable. The providers promise a minimum speed tier of 1 Mbps.
Comcast formally launched its Internet Essentials program back in September.
In addition to having a child in the school lunch program, participants must not have an overdue bill with any of the participating providers and cannot have been a broadband subscriber in the past 90 days.
For those who don't have a PC, Redemtech is offering refurbished laptops or desk computers for $150 plus tax, which can be shipped to participants' homes. The offer comes with 90 days of phone tech support,Expedition Parka one year of software tech support, and a 90-day warranty. The devices will include Windows 7 Home Premium and MS Office 2007, and come equipped with a Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, DVD player, and wireless card. The offer will kick off in some areas in spring 2012 and expand throughout the year.
Next year, meanwhile, Microsoft has committed to working with its hardware partners to introduce education computers that will start at $250 and include Windows and Office.
To help families purchase those computers,Canada Goose Jacka Morgan Stanley will help develop a micro-credit program that will also provide participants with financial training. Several non-profits have also signed up to assist those in the program, including Common Sense Media, Glassdoor.com, iKeepSafe, Indeed.com, LearningExpress, oDesk, and EverFi.
Connect to Compete efforts will be handled by digital literacy group One Economy, and the Media and Technology Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies will perform independent audits to make sure things are progressing.
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