Insider Q&A: T-Mobile Pushes Internet For Virtual School

Q: And you think 10 million kids have connection issues that stops them from being able to do online school? Estimates vary, but I’ve seen higher numbers. (A new study says between 15 million and 16 million public-school students don’t have adequate internet connections or devices for online school.)

Staneff: Theres another data point that says 56% of school-age kids have had trouble completing their homework. And thats a little bit broader because its not just the internet. A lot of them do it on a phone. They have internet access. It could be that they need a bigger screen, which is why were also offering at-cost, larger-screen devices. Weve looked at the enrollments in the school lunch program, weve looked at all the Census data. Thats what this number is.

Q: What have you been charging schools for getting internet to students who don’t have it?

Katz: It ranges greatly. I can tell you this program is now going to be our main education program. The district, they can get unlimited starting at $15. That’s value thats not available anywhere else in the market, and it enables schools to then pass through service at no cost to the students.