Governor Polis announces steps to increase internet access for low-income families

SHERIDAN, Colo. (KRDO) — Governor Polis announced the state is taking steps to increase broadband internet access for families at a press conference at Fort Logan Northgate High School in Denver Wednesday morning.

The digital divide in Colorado is underscored during the pandemic as schools rely on remote learning. Governor Polis said students need to be equipped to learn digitally if, or when, schools go online only.

“There are still too many students in Colorado that lack access to high-speed broadband at home to support their learning whatever form it takes," Governor Polis said.

The Colorado Department of Education estimates 65,000 Colorado students lack access to the internet. The Governor said the digital divide runs along economic and racial lines. He said two-thirds of Latinos in Colorado lack access to the internet.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said T-Mobile will offer free hotspots with 100 gigabytes per year to 34,000 low income families. The families will also receive access to internet capable devices like tablets and laptops at a reduced cost.

KRDO reached out to local districts to find out if 100 gigabytes was enough for the average household. Colorado Springs School District 11 who's tracking how much internet their students are using varies greatly.

About 4500 students were using 100 megabytes per day, a fraction of what others are using.

"Currently, the top D11 students are using about 8.5GB just for today.   I suspect these are outliers," Devra Ashby, Public Information Officer for D11 explained.

The families who qualify for the program will be families whose students are eligible to receive free or reduced cost school lunches.

This program is part of T-Mobile’s commitments under an agreement the company reached last fall with the Colorado Attorney General's Office. After suing to block the Sprint-T-Mobile merger, the Attorney General's Office negotiated a settlement with the company.

The settlement requires T-Mobile to help increase broadband internet access for Coloradans, including providing free internet connectivity and equipment to households with school-age children.

The Attorney General’s Office is also petitioning the Federal Communications Commission for funds to increase broadband access state-wide. 

Additionally, Attorney General Weiser said he and close to 40 other attorneys general are asking Congress for “lifeline access” funding to provide internet access to families who need it.

State leaders also celebrated other efforts to provide affordable internet for families during the pandemic. One of those efforts is Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which offers some families internet for just 10 dollars a month.

Governor Polis said rural providers have also stepped up to provide options for families from the western slope to the eastern plains. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Education is providing two million dollars to schools to leverage broadband access across the state, according to Commissioner of Education Kathy Anthes. 

Anthes said the money is coming from emergency federal funding through the CARES Act. Districts can use the money to buy hotspots, or provide other internet solutions, for low-income families. 

Governor Polis said the state will be taking additional steps to increase internet access in the future.