As students around the country return to school, the lack of access to home internet remains an issue for millions of American kids:

• According to a Dec. 2020 study, “up to 12 million K–12 students remain underconnected going into 2021.”
  • While the stat above represented the critical need for home internet access during COVID, the need continues today, despite a majority of students attending school in person
  • Students need home internet access for homework, online tutoring and remote class attendance throughout the year
• The divide worsens in rural communities: “Rural students were twice as likely as urban students to report lacking adequate technology to complete their coursework during the pandemic.”
• Oftentimes the schools, which are already strapped for resources, must find a way to provide internet access to students who need it in their homes. For the 2022–23 school year, this represents almost half of K–12 public schools providing access, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics study (Technology section)

To address this critical issue, T-Mobile’s Project 10Million is helping to close the digital divide in education by offering free internet connectivity, mobile hotspots and low cost hardware to millions of eligible student households. Parents can easily apply for their child online. Students can qualify for Project 10Million through eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, as well as through participation in many government programs.

With more than 5M students already connected, T-Mobile wants to sign up as many eligible families as possible this back-to-school season.