Internet Access

Internet Access Resources

One of Virginia PTA’s long standing advocacy priorities has been to address the digital divide, often referred to as the homework gap. Digital learning and connectivity at school and at home enables students to be prepared for tomorrow’s jobs and levels the playing field for students regardless of their affluence level or geographic location. The COVID-19 crisis brought the digital divide into sharp focus as 14% of Virginia’s K-12 students didn’t have access to internet and 12% didn’t have a computer in their home at the start of the pandemic due to both accessibility and affordability issues.

In 2021 Virginia PTA’s active advocacy and collaboration with coalition partners resulted in a historic $100M investment in the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) which provides grant funds to local governments to expand high-speed internet access in unserved areas. Additionally, Virginia PTA successfully advocated for affordability programs that have provided new federal and state level discounts for low-income families as well as mapping (in the 2021 Budget Bill) to document broadband coverage and available speeds. 

Below are resources and information you can reference to help your family, and families in your PTA community access state and federal programs for high-speed, affordable internet. 

What is Broadband?

Broadband is a term used to refer to high-speed internet provided via multiple types of technologies including fiber optics, wireless, cable, DSL and satellite. Broadband Internet Service Providers can be local telephone companies, cable companies, local providers of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or fiber connections, a wireless or satellite company, or an electrical utility for Broadband over Power Line (BPL).

Who you contact to obtain internet service depends on your family needs and the technology available in your community.

  • Fiber to the Home: Transmits large amounts of data using pulses of light that run through strands of glass fiber at high speeds. This is the fastest type of internet.
  • Cable: Transmits data over the same coaxial cables that deliver pictures and sound to your TV.
  • Wireless broadband (Wi-Fi Hotspots): Connects you to the internet using radio signals instead of cables. Many school divisions provided families with WiFi Hotspots during the height of the pandemic. To use a mobile wi-fi device you need to have cell phone service from the provider of the WiFi Hotspot. 
  • Digital Subscriber Line (DSL):  Transmits data using electric signals over traditional copper phone lines
  • Satellite: Often used in rural areas, data is transmitted via a communication satellite mounted on your home.

What is Considered High-Speed?

To fully participate in on-line classes with little lag, you should consider a broadband plan that provides100 Mbps download and 25-100 Mbps upload. According to the Federal Communications Commission, you are ‘un-served’ by broadband if you have no access to broadband service or have with speeds less than 25/3 Mbps. The first number (25) is the download speed. It tells you how quickly your internet service sends information to your device. The second number (3) is the upload speed. It tells you how quickly you are transmitting data to another device. If you are ‘Under-served’ then you would access the internet at speeds less than 100/20 Mbps.

Check Broadband Availability For Your Address

The FCC’s new National Broadband Map is an important part of closing the Digital Divide. Released in November 2022, the map displays location-specific information about available broadband and wireless coverage AND includes a public challenge process. This is a change from previous state and federal maps that reflected census-block level data and only included information submitted by Internet Service Providers. After checking coverage for your home or small business, you can submit a Location, Availability, or Mobile Coverage Challenge.

Having an accurate map will help ensure targeted funding to un-served and under-served communities. Data from this map will be used in the spring of 2022, to disperse $42.5 billion as part of the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program which was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (Infrastructure Act) passed in 2021. Each state will get an initial $100 million, with additional funding to be distributed based on the number of unserved and underserved locations, according to the new national broadband map. This is the single largest broadband investment in United States history and aims to provide widespread access to affordable broadband.

Are there Affordability Programs?

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and its monthly discount on broadband services ended on June 1, 2024 because U.S. Congress did not reallocate funds. 

Families seeking assistance on their broadband bills may be eligible to enroll in the FCC’s Lifeline program. Lifeline provides a discount on qualifying monthly telephone service, broadband service, or bundled voice-broadband packages purchased from participating providers. Please visit https://www.lifelinesupport.org/ for information on how to apply. If you need additional assistance, contact Lifeline Support Center by calling (800) 234-9473 or emailing LifelineSupport@usac.org. The support center is open 7 days a week, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.