Case Study: How Chicago is Providing High-Speed Internet Access to Students who Need it the Most

With the increase in remote learning due to COVID-10, the City of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the philanthropic community, and leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs) recognized a historic opportunity to eliminate broadband accessibility as a barrier to digital learning. On June 25, 2020, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced the launch of Chicago Connected, a groundbreaking, multi-year, public-private partnership to close Chicago’s digital divide and ensure that CPS students and their families have the Internet in their home for remote learning. The $50 million program is one of the most extensive and longest-term efforts by any city to provide free, high-speed Internet to increase students’ connectivity. In closing the city’s digital divide, Chicago Connected is not only eliminating broadband accessibility as a barrier to digital learning but providing a roadmap for other cities and school districts to follow.