ALLO offering $10 internet service to qualifying LPS families

ALLO Communications, a division of Nelnet Inc., announced today that it will provide high‐speed internet to qualified Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) students and their families for only $10 per month.

(From: Press Release)

ALLO Communications, a division of Nelnet Inc., announced today that it will provide high‐speed internet to qualified Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) students and their families for only $10 per month.

ALLO’s new Community Connect Program aims to close the digital divide with publicly available funds and ALLO’s own contributions.

The new ALLO Community Connect pilot program leverages funding from both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Lifeline subsidy program and the Nebraska Universal Service Fund Broadband Program administered by the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC). Additional operational support is being provided by the LPS district.

Families who are eligible for the FCC Lifeline program with a student in the LPS district who qualify will receive 50 Mbps upload and 50 Mbps download internet and home Wi‐Fi service at their residence for $10.

“The national state of emergency due to the coronavirus has magnified the need for high‐speed, reliable internet for everyone to support equal opportunity learning,” said Brad Moline, President of ALLO. “In partnership with LPS and the Nebraska PSC, our hope is to eliminate the digital divide that impacts so many low‐income families in the communities we live and work in.”

Moline added that “The service we are providing these LPS families is the same all‐fiber, high‐speed internet we provide all of our customers.”

The Community Connect internet will include everything families need to not only access the internet, but access it from their own Wi‐Fi. This helps to eliminate the high cost of data usage when accessing internet at home through their mobile devices.

“We have identified one of the greatest obstacles in providing quality remote learning opportunities for our students is making sure all of them have access to internet service,” said Steve Joel, superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools. “ALLO is a Nebraska business that understands our challenges and needs. They have stepped up to provide essential internet access and we want to thank them for their efforts in aiding Lincoln families.”

Kirk Langer, LPS chief technology officer, added “LPS has been in discussions with Allo over the past several months to determine the best way our respective organizations can partner to bridge the digital divide. The ability to leverage those discussions at this time makes it possible to partner down to the network peering level so LPS students get the best possible connection to district resources.”

ALLO plans to work with multiple non‐profits on an awareness campaign to educate low‐income families about the service and how to apply. ALLO is also offering community WiFi hotspots, available to the public at the Lincoln ALLO office and Haymarket Cube to expand internet access.

For more information on the Community Connect Program for families, visit www.allofiber.com/cc