With the increasing use of technology in education, starting in 2021, every student in Knox County Schools will have a district-provided laptop.
Soon, some students whose families may not be able to afford internet at home will be able to get free internet access thanks to a new initiative by the Knoxville Utilities Board and funded by the city of Knoxville and Knox County.
To apply for free internet, families should visit kub.org/forms/connected-application. If the applicant is a current KUB Fiber customer, he or she must complete the ConnectED application and be approved to participate in the program. According to KUB, this process takes an average of 7-10 business days.
Those who are not already KUB Fiber customers would first need to sign up for the internet service.
Once approved, an $80 ConnectED credit will be added to the recipient’s KUB Fiber bill for subsequent billing periods to cover the cost of KUB Fiber One Gigabit internet service.
How to apply for free internet access through ConnectED
To qualify, households must:
- You live in the KUB service area and the City of Knoxville or Knox County. You must also have access to KUB Fiber where you live. It is currently available in portions of Rocky Hill, Parkridge, Halls, Fourth and Gill, House Mountain, South Knoxville and West Hills in Knox County. To check if your address qualifies, please visit kub.org/fiber-availability
- Meet program income requirements or enroll in a qualifying program. Income requirements are currently set at 200% of the federal poverty guidelines or less than 80% of the area median income.
- Enroll your child in grades K-12 in Knox County Public Schools.
Applicants will need to provide their contact details, KUB service address, proof of income and school enrollment.
“KUB remains committed to meeting the need to provide broadband internet to underserved and underrepresented communities. Thanks to KUB ConnectED, we can provide our students with affordable access to the fastest Internet available,” said KUB President and CEO Gabriel Bolas in a press release.
“We are proud to be the only local ISP offering free one gigabit internet service in our region. This program builds on our heritage of providing local customer service and community support,” he said.
The new program is a testament to the district’s community partnerships that help it meet its four priorities, Freddie Cox, chief technology officer for Knox County Schools, said in a statement to Knox News.
“By providing reliable, free and high-speed internet access to eligible students and their families, KUB is helping to remove barriers and provide our students with new learning and career opportunities at home,” Cox said.
Areena AroraKnox News data reporter and investigator, can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @AreenaArora AND ON Instagram @areena_news.