COVID-19 Distance Learning Discount on Mobile Data Services for California K-12 Public School Students

The Distance Learning Discounts program ended in 2021 and is no longer available.

From 2020 to 2021, the California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) program partnered with the California Department of Education (CDE) to meet the needs of students during the COVID-19 crisis. These efforts included the Distance Learning Discounts program which provided a 50% discount on the monthly recurring service charge for mobile data services that allowed schools to extend the classroom to students' homes. The program assisted Rural and Small School Districts and Medium School Districts in their efforts to meet the needs of students that do not have internet access at home and therefore were unable to participate in online classrooms or other distance learning activities.

Who was eligible for the Distance Learning Discount? California's K-12 public rural and small school districts and medium school districts.

Who used the discounted services? Students who did not have internet access at home and therefore were unable to participate in distance learning activities.

Which services were eligible? Mobile broadband data services to connect students' personal devices or hotspots for distance learning purposes. Exclusions include any costs or fees for device purchase or rental, or any service costs for administrative purposes, faculty-usage, or for any other use not specified above.

Click here  for List of Participating Wireless Carriers and eligible mobile broadband data plans.

Which wireless carriers participated? AT&T, Kajeet, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon.

How long did this offer last? Discount were applied to services rendered between April 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

Who was responsible for payment of these services? The discount only applied to service contracts and accounts billed to a California K-12 public school district or public charter school that was approved for the Distance Learning Discount.

How much was the discount? 50% off the monthly recurring service charge.

What was CDE's role in this effort? CDE informed all eligible school districts of this program and assisted the program in its validation of eligible districts, services, and applicants.