How Free Internet for Students in ‘Gig City’ Will Outlast the Pandemic

In the summer of 2020, the Hamilton County (TN) public school system – which encompasses the city of Chattanooga – announced it would be providing high-speed internet access to families with students on free or reduced lunch plans through a program called EdConnect. The service is funded through the next ten years, the school board says, meaning the free high-speed internet should well outlast the pandemic. Jill Levine, Chief of Innovation and Choice at Hamilton County Schools, says there had been conversations about providing high-speed internet access to students prior to the pandemic, but the need had never been so urgent. The fact that many students did not have high-speed internet — or any internet access at all — became clear to the district when online learning began. Despite the praise the school board has received from parents, there have been challenges connecting people with the service, Levine says. Some families don’t have a fixed permanent residence where wifi can be installed. Others are outside EPB’s service area. And some students are being dropped off with a grand-parent or other family member during the day while a parent goes to work. To help get them connected, the school board also raised money for 4G wireless hotspots that can reach them where they are. And other families have been slow to opt-in to the service or are non-responsive. To help with outreach, the Hamilton County school board and EPB recruited community partners, including The Enterprise Center. Geoff Milliner, with The Enterprise Center, says that the organization put together a panel of community leaders, elected officials and religious leaders to help spread word about EdConnect.