More than one out of every four Arizona students could have their families qualify for low-cost Internet services under the terms of a new program unveiled earlier this week.
Under a partnership with community leaders, Cox Communications will offer relatively high-speed connections for $9.95 a month to families where students qualify for free or low-cost lunch programs. Estimates are that should cover about 300,000 students in schools.
Gov. Doug Ducey said less than half of students in low-income homes have Internet connections at home, versus more than 90 percent in high-income families.
The governor said this is about more than just closing the "digital divide'' between those with money for Internet connections and those without.
“Today more than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies require online job applications,” Ducey said. “About 50 percent of the jobs that are available require computer skills, and that number's only going to continue to grow.”
John Wolfe, a Cox vice president, said the need is even more immediate. He said close to four out of every five teachers say they assign online homework.
For the moment, registration is being conducted online at the ArizonaOn website -- which means families who need the service are going to have to go to a public library to sign up.