Cox Communications, a leading cable, internet, and TV provider in the United States has been running a low-cost internet and digital literacy program for decades. Cox’s low-income internet currently serves more than 500,000 subscribers. According to Cox, many of these subscribers connected to the internet for the first time. The Connect2Compete program primarily targets low-income households and senior first-time internet users.
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What is Connect2Compete?
Connect2Compete is a Cox low-income internet program that has been offering its services to low-income households. Households that qualify for low-income assistance for their school-going children can also qualify for Connect2Compete. The idea behind the program is to empower children from low-income households with reliable internet access (barring any Cox internet outages). The program also intends to raise digital literacy in the provider’s coverage footprint.
What’s New With Cox Low-Income Internet?
The Connect2Compete program offers low-cost internet to households with schoolchildren enrolled in programs like the National School Lunch Program. Originally, under the income-assistance program, the provider offered download speeds of around 10 Mbps and upload speeds of 1 Mbps. The idea behind this being that low-cost internet is more inclusive and high-speed internet does not always need high pricing points. Low-income households usually need a basic connection, not a full-fledged in-home system with guest Wi-Fi.
In October 2019, the provider announced it was going to increase internet speeds for Connect2Compete customers by 65%! This exciting news was followed by even better news that existing customers would not have to take any additional actions to get the new speeds. Over the next few weeks, the provider began to roll out upgraded download and upload speeds. The service now reaches download speeds of 25 Mbps and upload speeds of 3 Mbps.
What Features Does Connect2Compete Offer?
The Connect2Compete program aims to offer the best internet connection at lower costs to low-income households. That means the provider does away with many expenses that regular customers would otherwise have to pay for. The Connect2Compete program offers the following features to low-income subscribers:
- High-speed Internet reaching download speeds up to 25 Mbps.
- No modem rental costs.
- No additional activation or hidden expenses.
- There is no deposit fees required.
- No hard credit score benchmarks to qualify.
What Is Cox Digital Academy?
The provider’s Digital Academy is an expansion to the Connect2Compete program that Cox added in 2017. The purpose of the Digital Academy is to increase the digital literacy standard among its Connect2Compete subscribers, primarily schoolchildren and low-income families. The provider offers several digital tools for free on the Digital Academy that help with this. Tools like these help target households to understand how new household technology such as the Nest Wi-Fi system works and how they can use it.
The Digital Academy is all about empowering people to stay up to speed with the constantly changing digital landscape. The overall program makes efforts to increase internet accessibility with the purpose of:
- Encouraging communication between school kids and their schools or teachers.
- Helping underprivileged children climb the ladder to social and economic success.
- Encouraging kids from low-income households to take more interest in school and homework.
- Helping make life easier for low-income homes with more accessible, low-cost internet.
Conclusion
The Connect2Compete program is not new. In fact, it has been operating for almost 2 decades. The program has built up a strong record of offering low-cost, high-speed internet to households and families in lower-income brackets. Making use of a mix of private partnerships as well as partnering with several public organizations, Cox has made efforts to improve digital literacy all over the United States.
The provider continues to empower the communities it offers internet services to. It is making concrete efforts to give back to the community by strengthening neighborhoods and even cities with access to the internet. These efforts allow these communities to grow, learn, and communicate without the high costs usually associated with internet services. Call Cox customer care today to see if you qualify for Connect2Compete. The program can be just what you need if you are looking for a low-cost internet solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cox offer low-income internet?
The Cox Connect2Compete program offers low-cost internet to low-income households that qualify.
Does Cox offer a senior discount?
Cox offers a senior citizen discount of 30% on basic cable subscriptions.
Does Cox give student discounts?
Households with school kids enrolled in the NSLP qualify for reduced-cost internet.
