Connecticut State Department of Administrative Services

Home Connectivity

A number of federal and state programs exist to help students and families connect to the Internet for remote and blended learning. See the sections below for details on each. School and library leaders may also view the following resources from the July 15, 2021 presentation — in partnership with the Connecticut State Department of Education — on no-cost ways to connect students off-campus through Everybody Learns, the Emergency Connectivity Fund, and the Emergency Broadband Benefit:

Emergency Connectivity Fund

The Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) reimburses schools and libraries for the cost of connecting students and patrons off campus (e.g., at home) to support learning for the 2021 – 22 academic year. The program covers "reasonable costs" for the following types of equipment and services:

  • Cellular Hotspots
  • Connected Devices (e.g., LTE-Enabled Computer)
  • Modems and Routers

The program is operated under the Universal Services Administration Company (USAC), which also oversees the E-rate program, and follows a similar filing and award process. The window to submit applications for the 2021 – 22 school year ended August 13, 2021. For more information, see the following resources:

Affordable Connectivity Program

The Affordable Connectivity Program provides up to a $30 monthly credit ($75 to those living on tribal lands) to eligible households for broadband Internet connections. See the following outreach and information resources for additional details:

Everybody Learns — State Internet Connectivity Resources for Students

Governor Lamont’s Everybody Learns initiative provides computers and Internet connections for students to support remote and blended learning in the 2020 – 21 school year. Leaders in K – 12 districts should use the resources below to learn more about home connectivity and supports. School leaders should first reference the statewide map of cable providers (details here) to which identify carrier(s) serve their students. They can also leverage this one-page program overview when responding to family inquiries about the program.
 

Altice (Optimum)

Atlantic Broadband
Charter
Comcast (Xfinity)

The Internet Essentials program connects students qualifying for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, SSI, Medicaid, and other programs.

For students from families that do not qualify for federal aid, districts can still provide connections through Comcast's Performance Starter program. School leaders should follow these instructions on how to get students online through this program:

Cox
Kajeet