Digital Equity
Cleveland Metropolitan Rolling Out Broadband to 5,300 Families
Cleveland
Metropolitan School District in Ohio is helping to connect
families to the internet for remote learning. Initially, the district
is expected to push free broadband to about 5,300 families.
The initial program is part of a multi-year partnership with Charter
Communications, the parent company of Spectrum Enterprise. The
district signed on to adopt the Stay
Connected K-12 program from Spectrum Enterprise to provide cable
internet connectivity to students and their families. The program
provides 50 Mbps download speeds with no data caps or usage limits; a
modem, router and WiFi; and 24/7 technical support. Families have
received or are receiving the hardware and self-installation kit in
the mail.
“Our focus at CMSD is ensuring that all of our students receive a
high-quality education. We foster this by creating an environment
that empowers our teachers and challenges students to meet the
highest expectations,” said Eric Gordon, CEO of the Cleveland
Metropolitan School District. “Stay Connected K-12 from Spectrum
Enterprise is a key tool because internet access at home can create a
richer, more satisfactory learning experience.”
Estimates for the number of students who lack broadband access
nationwide range from 9
million to 12 million as of this year. Additionally, research
shows that, among students of low-income families, the
majority (56%) of families that do have internet connections have
inadequate download and/or upload speeds for their needs. The FCC
currently defines high-speed broadband as 25 Mbps download speeds and
3 Mbps upload speeds per household, although the Consortium for
School Networking recommends 25
Mbps per student rather than per household. As of this writing,
average
speeds in the United States are 195.6 Mbps down and 69.1 Mbps up
for fixed connections and 91 Mbps down and 12.7 Mbps up for mobile.
Further details about the Stay Connected K-12 program can be found
spectrum.com.