About 400 Cleveland school district families are now using free internet, provided as part of collaboration with DigitalC, a locally based provider. The program, which launched quietly at the beginning of the year, is looking to expand.
As part of the partnership, all CMSD families are eligible for free internet through DigitalC’s network. The catch: DigitalC’s network is only available in parts of the city, for now. DigitalC plans to complete its citywide network by next summer.
“You don’t see this setup really anywhere,” said Joshua Edmonds, the CEO of DigitalC. “The fact that you can have the public school [district] working with the only internet service provider headquartered in Cleveland.” Edmonds said the effort shows “how Cleveland is able to take care of Clevelanders.”
Where is DigitalC’s free internet available?
So far, DigitalC’s internet network is only available in pockets of some neighborhoods on the East Side such as Glenville, Hough, Fairfax and parts of Mt. Pleasant.
DigitalC’s current network covers about 40,000 homes. A handful of new towers are scheduled to go live within the next few months, amplifying the network to reach thousands more homes, Edmonds said.
Do I qualify for free internet?
To see if you live in DigitalC’s service area, call the company’s hotline at (216) 777-3859 or visit its website. If service isn’t available to your home yet, DigitalC can add you to a waitlist. The company will then text, email and call when service goes live in your area.
Clevelanders without children enrolled in CMSD can still pay for internet through DigitalC. The internet service, called “Canopy,” costs $18 per month.
The network is rolling out gradually because the company has to install equipment on rooftops and radio towers to connect and amplify its network. Those installations require permits, which can take time to secure.
CMSD has been reaching out to families who live in DigitalC’s service areas to help get them connected, Edmonds said.
Is DigitalC’s free internet any good?
DigitalC and CMSD started working together when the COVID-19 pandemic pushed schools online. Back then, local and national organizations, along with CMSD and DigitalC, pitched in to help students connect to the internet. Solutions back then helped mend Cleveland’s digital divide, but only temporarily.
Edmonds noted that DigitalC’s early network didn’t offer fast connection speeds.
After securing $20 million from the City of Cleveland last September, DigitalC has been building new infrastructure to expand its high-speed internet network throughout the city.
We want to make sure the internet is readily accessible, not only for homework but also for college applications, filling out federal student aid applications for college and to explore career options, said Michele Pomerantz, Cleveland’s chief of education.
Currently, DigitalC’s network provides download speeds that surpass the federal standard for “high speed” internet. That’s up to 200 megabits per second and upload speeds up to 100 megabits per second.
With those speeds, CMSD students can work on homework while a parent logs onto a video job interview, Edmonds said as an example. “We don’t have to be limited by bandwidth.”
UPDATE: In addition to the 400 CMSD families signed up for DigitalC’s high-speed network, about 750 CMSD families currently have free internet through DigitalC’s older, slower network, according to Valerie Jerome, the chief marketing and communications officer for DigitalC.
Do families have to pay for or install anything to use the service?
No. DigitalC provides devices for free and sends technicians out to install them.
A DigitalC technician will install an antenna on the outside of your home. They will then run a wire from that antenna to a modem and router inside your home. The whole process can take up to two hours.
Can a family sign up if they already have internet service at home?
Even if families currently have another internet service provider, they can still get set up with DigitalC’s service as a backup.
For CMSD families, getting the service is a “no brainer,” Edmonds said.
Why give CMSD families free internet?
To Edmonds, providing internet access to CMSD students is an exercise in “limit breaking,” he said. He doesn’t want students to be limited by slow internet connections or lack of infrastructure.
“If we were to go to maybe other school districts in wealthier areas, you know, the question of high speed internet, it’s not even a question,” he said. “It’s a guarantee.”
In 2017, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance released a survey showing that 27% of Cleveland’s households had no broadband internet connection. Since then, city government and local nonprofit organizations such as the Cleveland Foundation have invested in bridging Cleveland’s digital divide.
Last year, the NDIA recognized Cleveland as a “trailblazer” striving toward equitable internet access.
Pomerantz praised the fact that DigitalC service is available in some of Cleveland’s least-connected neighborhoods. Internet access can help students beyond just allowing them to finish up homework, she said. Parents, she said, could use the service for finding jobs and “even if they’re looking up recipes for dinner that day,” she said. All of these things matter, and they impact the overall quality of life, Pomerantz said.
