Iowa K-12 students are out of school until at least April 30, and some are trying to keep up with online learning opportunities at home, while others struggle with access.

Mediacom is reminding school districts and families of a low-cost internet option the company offers to families with school-aged children who qualify.

Mediacom’s Connect2Compete internet option is available for families with at least one K-12 student living in the home and at least one of those students must be eligible for free or reduced price lunches. The C2C program includes home internet service for $9.95 a month with no installation fees and a modem is provided at no cost.

This program is not a new one — prior to the start of this school year, 16 families in Fort Dodge used the C2C program. As of March, there are 26 Fort Dodge families using the service.

However, since the start of the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, some schools across the state have been holding classes online and “students need online access more than ever,” said Phyllis Peters, Mediacom communications director.

In light of the COVID-19 crisis, Mediacom has made some changes to its Connect2Compete program. For families who apply and sign up before May 15, the company is offering the first 60 days free.

The $9.95 per month price stays the same, but Mediacom has increased the internet speeds for this program from 10mbps to 25mbps. Mediacom is also using a “more generous policy to write-off bad debt of former customers as a way to help families get connected, “ the company stated on its web site.

“With everyone at home, it’s more essential than ever to maintain connections,” Peters said. “And that’s connections for education, but it’s also connections for telemedicine. There’s a whole lot more counseling and mental health sessions that are online. Every aspect of our lives today versus six weeks ago has shifted to online rather than in person.”

While school has been out for the past month, the Fort Dodge Community School District has not been requiring its students to do any online or virtual classwork, but the district does see the value in the C2C program for its students and families.

“We are currently providing our families with voluntary continuous learning opportunities which can be completed offline,” said Jen Lane, district director of communications. “However, in addition to these activities, some teachers are providing additional resources and activities online. With up to 40 percent of our families not having home internet access, programs like Connect2Compete could help close this gap for our students.”

For families who do decide to participate in the C2C program, or those who add any Mediacom service at home during this time, the company has updated installation practices to avoid any possible COVID-19 coronavirus exposure.

“We want to keep our employees safe and we certainly want to keep our customers at home safe,” Peters said.

Mediacom technicians do a video chat with the customer to walk them through the installation and they leave the equipment at the front door.

“Our technicians do the work on the outside of the house, making sure there is an up-to-date and working fiber coax connection to bring the broadband service to the home,” Peters said.

Connect2Compete is Mediacom’s way of investing in the communities that it works in, Peters said.

“As a broadband leader, Mediacom understands the essential role the Internet plays in our society — and we don’t want to see a homework or learning gap between students whose families have access to reliable broadband and those who do not,” she said.

For more information on the Connect2Compete program, visit https://mediacomc2c.com/.