Phoenix-area students in low-income households to be eligible for $10 internet

PHOENIX — Students in Phoenix who live in public housing will have an opportunity to connect to the Internet at a discounted rate, thanks to a program from Cox Communications and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.

The program, dubbed ConnectHome, will allow low-income families with school-age children to get affordable access to high-speed broadband, U.S. Secretary of Housing Julian Castro said.

Castro said families who live in HUD-assisted housing and have a child in K-12 grades will be eligible for the discounted broadband internet, which will be available for under $10 per month.

He said about 20,000 school age children in Maricopa County will be eligible.

“Right now in our country, the majority of low-income households and the vast majority of public housing residents don’t have Internet access,” he said. “ConnectHome is about changing that.”

Cox Communications President Pat Esser said the company is moving to “fill this digital hole that too many low income families find themselves in.”

The Internet is a necessity, Castro argued, because he said 90 percent of employers want job seekers to apply online, colleges require online applications and students doing everyday homework need to do their research online.

“Today, our young people really can’t compete in our 21st century economy without Internet access, ” Castro said.

The program originally debuted in 28 communities across the nation before expanding to areas like Phoenix.

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