Charter Re-Launches Free Educational Broadband for New Sign-Ups

Charter has re-instituted its pandemic-prompted 60-day free internet/Wi-Fi offer for homes with K-12 and college kids, as well as for teachers.

It made the Remote Education Offer in response to the pandemic, providing up to 200 Mbps speeds in most markets for households that did not currently have Charter (Spectrum) internet service.

Charter first made the offer last March. It ended June 30.

“The pandemic has prompted new focus on the technology divide and Charter is committed to being part of the comprehensive solution needed to close these gaps,” said Charter chairman Tom Rutledge. “This offer is the latest example of Charter’s ongoing commitment to improving access to broadband and helping to ease the strain of the pandemic in the communities we serve."

As schools attempt to reopen virtually, or with a mix of in-person and virtual instruction, making sure as many students--and teachers--have access to broadband as possible is more important than ever. FCC chairman Ajit Pai has been pushing Congress to allocate more funds for distance learning, while Hill Democrats have been pushing Pai to interpret the FCC's E-rate broadband subsidy restriction on funding to classroom broadband and equipment to include remote learning and equipment for the "home" classroom, something he has so far said the statute does not allow.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.