NEWS RELEASE
NEXTLIGHT
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In a move to make sure more Longmont schoolchildren have the high-speed connections they need for distance learning, NextLight has expanded access to its free “Sharing the NextLight” program.
Since 2019, Sharing the NextLight has offered a free home internet connection and router to Longmont families whose children attend St. Vrain Valley schools and qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. (Thursday), the community-owned fiber-optic internet service announced that grandparents and designated caregivers of those students also would be eligible.
“Due to COVID-19, remote education has become more important than ever,” NextLight Executive Director Valerie Dodd said. “But for many families with working parents, keeping their child at home simply isn’t an option. We’re meeting these families where they are to ensure that no one gets stranded on the wrong side of the ‘digital divide’ and that learning can continue even when in-person classes do not.”
The program is a partnership of NextLight, the Longmont Community Foundation and Longmont Children, Youth & Families. Interested families can receive an application by calling Children, Youth & Families at 303-651-8580 or by going online to www.longmontcolorado.gov/SharingTheNextLight. Applicants must live in an area where NextLight is currently available.
NextLight customers who want to assist the program can have a donation added to their monthly bill by calling NextLight customer service at 303-774-4494. Donors who are not NextLight customers or who wish to make a one-time gift may give through the Longmont Community Foundation by going to www.longmontcolorado.gov/SharingTheNextLight and clicking the donation link.
Longmont residents without children in school may still qualify for special rates offered to households that are income-qualified or struggling with the effects of COVID-19. To find out more, interested applicants should call 303-774-4494 or email [email protected].
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