For parents of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch,
Your students are eligible to receive free high-speed internet service through the Alabama Broadband Connectivity for Students Program. You will receive a letter sometime after August 24,2020 inviting you to join the program.  It will have your prepaid voucher number, which you can use for free high speed internet service through December 30, 2020, and a list of internet service providers that you can call to set up your service.

THIS IS A TEMPORARY PROGRAM IN RESPONSE TO THE CHALLENGES PRESENTED TO SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS DUE TO COVID-19.

Once you receive your voucher letter, follow the steps below to get your students ready  to participate in distance learning this fall.  You will not be able to start the program until you receive the voucher letter.
1.  Call an internet provider listed in your voucher letter.
2.  Say, "I have an Alabama ABC voucher."
3.  Receive equipment and installation support from your internet provider.
4.  Connect to distance learning.

About the Alabama Broadband Connectivity for Students Program:

Governor Kay Ivey has committed $100 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to deliver free internet access to eligible K-12 students in their homes this fall. The State of Alabama is using the funds to purchase internet service for low-income households with K-12 students so students can participate in distance learning. This service is being administered through the Alabama Broadband Connectivity for Students Program.

Students in Alabama that are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program through their school are automatically eligible for the Alabama Broadband Connectivity for Students Program. The letter you will receive serves as a prepaid voucher from the Alabama Broadband Connectivity for Students Program and covers the cost of equipment, installation, and high-speed internet service through December 30, 2020. The voucher can be used once, with one internet service provider, to sign up for service for the duration of the program. Enrolled households will not receive any bills and will not be charged any additional fees by the internet service provider.

If the address for your student has changed, please contact their school to update their address for the National School Lunch Program.

The voucher is intended for students who are eligible for the National School Lunch Program. By using the voucher, you will be confirming that you meet the income requirements of the National School Lunch Program, which is limited to households earning $48,470 or less for a family of four. Please do not use the voucher if your household is not income eligible for the National School Lunch Program. Your attention to this will help ensure that households that need help connecting will receive it.

Do you have questions or need assistance in Spanish?

Call the Alabama Broadband Connectivity for Students Program at 1-888-212-4998 or visit their website at www.abcstudents.org (website also available in Vietnamese and Lao).