Thinkstock

When a family is struggling to pay rent or afford groceries, something like home Internet service may get cut from the budget. As more students depend on getting online for school, BendBroadband now offers eligible low-income families high-speed Internet service for $10 a month.

The Connect2Compete program started last year and is expanding now that Bend-La Pine Schools gives every student in third through 12th grade an iPad. Currently 15 families participate.

Internet service through BendBroadband typically starts at $35 a month. Under Connect2Compete, there are no deposit, installation or modem rental fees, and the price is guaranteed for two years.

“It was definitely in conjunction with the iPads. Before, some of these families didn’t have computers,” said Jennifer Beatty, senior customer care representative for BendBroadband. The company’s service area covers Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver and Terrebonne.

Eligible participants must have at least one child enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade; have not subscribed to BendBroadband Internet service within the past 90 days; and have no outstanding bill or unreturned equipment with BendBroadband.

Participants must be referred to BendBroadband by Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Club or the Family Access Network, or FAN, which helps low-income families in Deschutes County find food, shelter, clothing, medical services and other resources.

Internet service is hardly a basic need on the scale of food and shelter, said Julie Lyche, executive director of FAN, but many students depend on it to keep up in school, especially now that they’re using the iPads. During the first week of school this month, Lyche said, FAN referred a half-dozen families for the program.

“We really are trying to break down the barriers so that kids can be successful in school, and this is one of the barriers,” Lyche said. “Oftentimes things like Internet connections are a luxury for them, and there’s no way they’re going to be able to pay what the average family is paying.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7837,

aspegman@bendbulletin.com