Net4Kids Brings Affordable Internet Access to Michigan Students
Wireless Internet provider M-33 Access recently launched Net4Kids, online at www.net4kids.us, a program that provides low-cost Internet
access to schools and families in Michigan. "By making Internet access more affordable and more accessible, the Net4Kids program will help students, parents and teachers seek and gain knowledge using the Internet," says Glenn Wilson, CEO of M-33 Access.
Net4Kids has been in use at 16 Michigan schools for several months, and after sufficient testing, the program is now ready to be launched statewide, with plans to expand into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin in 2004. Net4Kids has the ability to save schools thousands of dollars each year through partnerships with phone companies for dial-up services and hardware companies for broadband equipment. These partnerships provide discounts that M-33 passes along to schools and families.
Internet access with a dial-up connection starts at $8 per month for 100 hours of usage or $10 per month for unlimited use, with broadband accounts starting at $25 per month. All schools and families with K-12 children qualify for the program. Net4Kids offers every child access to the Internet, which Wilson calls "the ultimate library, providing students with unprecedented access to knowledge."
M-33 Access will also be donating 10% of payments for Internet services back to the schools. Even customers with regular non-student accounts through M-33 Access will be able to specify that 10% of their payments be donated to the public or private school district of their choice.
Believing that Internet access keeps students more focused on learning and seeking goals, Wilson can rest assured that Net4Kids will make an impact on children in Michigan and eventually beyond. "Being on the Internet will help [children] broaden their horizons and give them the ability to see the entire world," he says.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2003 issue of THE Journal.