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26 Years and Counting
1998: Teachers start assigning internet homework. Families without home internet fall behind.
2025: 19% of Moses Lake households STILL don't have home broadband.
The homework gap that started in 1998 exists TODAY in 2025.
The Current Reality (2024-2025)
What We've Achieved
Infrastructure Solved:
- ✅ Grant County PUD fiber network 99%+ complete (November 2024)
- ✅ Gigabit speeds available to nearly every home
- ✅ Multiple ISP choices (16+ providers on PUD network)
- ✅ Competitive pricing ($50-80/month typical)
Devices Solved:
- ✅ 100% of Moses Lake students have Chromebooks (grades 5-12)
- ✅ Elementary students have device access at school
- ✅ Take-home privileges for all secondary students
- ✅ Device management, filtering, repairs all in place
What We Haven't Solved
Access Problem Persists:
- ❌ 19% of Moses Lake households lack home broadband (2024 data)
- ❌ Students with Chromebooks but no home internet = can't do homework
- ❌ All assignments on Google Classroom = requires internet
- ❌ 26-year homework gap STILL EXISTS
Who Are the 19% Without Internet?
Economic Barriers
The Affordability Problem:
- $50-80/month for home internet
- $600-960/year total cost
- For family earning minimum wage ($16.66/hour in WA):
- Annual income (full-time): ~$34,700
- After taxes: ~$28,000
- Internet = 2-3% of take-home pay
- Competing with: Rent, food, utilities, transportation, healthcare
- Families make choice: Internet or groceries?
Housing Barriers
Rental Housing Challenges:
- Moses Lake: ~40% of families rent (don't own homes)
- Landlords may not allow installation (even if fiber available)
- Transient families (move frequently for work)
- Can't establish service if moving every 6-12 months
- Credit check required by some ISPs (immigrants may lack credit history)
Language Barriers
Spanish-Speaking Families Face Extra Hurdles:
- ISP customer service primarily in English
- Online signup forms in English
- Technical troubleshooting in English
- Bills and notifications in English
- Parents intimidated by technology + language combination
- Fear of making mistakes, getting charged incorrectly
- Rely on children to navigate systems (but children don't have credit cards)
Immigration Status Barriers
Undocumented Families' Fear:
- Some families undocumented or mixed-status
- Fear providing personal information to companies
- Worry about credit checks revealing status
- Avoid creating paper trails
- Result: Stay offline rather than risk exposure
Digital Literacy Barriers
Technology Intimidation:
- Parents never used computers growing up (rural Mexico, Central America)
- Don't understand what "broadband" or "WiFi" means
- Fear of breaking equipment
- Don't know how to troubleshoot problems
- School assumes parents can help kids with tech issues - they can't
Why "Solutions" Don't Work
Hotspot Programs
| What Districts Try |
Why It Fails |
| Lend cellular hotspots to families |
• Data caps (can't stream video lessons)
• Spotty coverage in rural areas
• Expensive for districts ($30-50/month per hotspot)
• Families lose/damage devices (liability issues)
|
"Just Use the Library"
| Why This Doesn't Work |
Time constraints:
• Library closes 5-6pm weekdays
• Parents working until 6-7pm
• Can't transport kids to library
• Students arrive at library, have 30-60 minutes max
Space constraints:
• Limited computer stations
• Students waiting for computers
• No quiet place to concentrate
• Can't do Zoom calls in library (disturbs others)
Homework reality:
• Modern homework requires 2-3 hours/night
• Library access = maybe 1 hour
• Homework incomplete, grades suffer
|
School WiFi Parking Lots
| Why This Doesn't Work |
During COVID, families tried this:
• Park in school parking lot to access WiFi
• Kids doing homework in car
• No desk, no chair, no quiet
• Cold in winter, hot in summer
• Parents can't supervise (at work)
• Unsafe (parking lots after dark)
• Degrading (other families see them struggling)
|
Federal Subsidy Programs
| Program |
What It Offered |
Status |
| Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) |
$30/month subsidy for internet |
ENDED June 2024 - Congress didn't renew funding |
| Lifeline |
$9.25/month discount |
Still exists but minimal ($9.25 doesn't cover $50-80 cost) |
| E-Rate (schools) |
Subsidizes school internet, not home |
Doesn't help families |
The ACP ending was devastating. Families who finally got internet in 2021-2023 lost it in June 2024 when funding expired. Kids went back to no internet at home.
What Students Without Internet Face Daily
A Day in the Life: High School Student, No Home Internet
6:00 AM: Wake up, get ready for school
7:30 AM - 2:30 PM: At school, has internet access
- Uses Chromebook in class
- Tries to finish homework during lunch (too loud, too chaotic)
- Teacher assigns homework on Google Classroom
- "Due tomorrow at 8 AM" - requires internet to submit
2:30 PM: School day ends
- Takes bus home (1-hour ride, rural area)
- OR works after-school job (food service, retail)
5:00 PM: Arrives home
- Parents at work (won't be home until 7 PM)
- Responsible for younger siblings
- Makes dinner, supervises siblings' homework
7:00 PM: Parents home
- Family dinner
- Mentions homework needs internet
- Parents say "Go to library" (closes at 6 PM - already closed)
- OR "Use your phone" (phone has data cap, already exceeded)
8:00 PM: Panic sets in
- Homework due tomorrow, can't access Google Classroom
- Emails teacher: "Can I turn it in late?"
- But can't send email - NO INTERNET
Next Morning:
- Arrives at school, homework incomplete
- Grade drops from B to C
- Happens 2-3 times per week
- By end of semester: C becomes D, D becomes F
Result: Achievement gap widens, not because of ability but because of ACCESS.
District-by-District Home Broadband Rates (2024 Estimates)
| District |
% WITH Home Broadband |
% WITHOUT Home Broadband |
Estimated # of Students Affected |
| Moses Lake |
81% |
19% |
~1,580 students |
| Ephrata |
~78% |
~22% |
~550 students |
| Quincy |
~75% |
~25% |
~500 students |
| Mattawa (Wahluke) |
~65% |
~35% |
~525 students |
| Othello |
~70% |
~30% |
~660 students |
| Warden |
~73% |
~27% |
~162 students |
| Soap Lake |
~80% |
~20% |
~80 students |
TOTAL across 7 districts: ~4,000+ students still lack home internet despite 100% fiber availability.
What Could Actually Work
Universal Hotspots (Unlimited Data)
Provide unlimited cellular hotspots to every family without internet:
- Cost: ~$30/month per device
- Moses Lake: 1,580 students ÷ 2.5 students per family = ~630 families
- Total cost: $226,800/year
- Compare to: Technology budget ~$500K/year
- 45% of tech budget solves the access problem completely
District-Provided Home Internet
Partner with Grant County PUD to provide free internet to families in need:
- District pays wholesale rates (~$20-30/month)
- Families get free home fiber
- Cost: Similar to hotspot program
- Better solution: Faster, more reliable, no data caps
Spanish-Language Tech Support
Hire bilingual tech support staff:
- Help Spanish-speaking families sign up for internet
- Navigate ISP customer service
- Troubleshoot home network issues
- Translate tech communications
- Cost: One bilingual tech support position = ~$60K/year
- Would help thousands of families
Parent Technology Training
Monthly workshops for parents (in Spanish):
- How to set up home WiFi
- How to help kids with Google Classroom
- Basic troubleshooting
- Understanding monthly bills
- Building confidence with technology
Why Haven't Districts Done This?
The Uncomfortable Truth
Districts know 19% lack internet. They've known for years. Why haven't they solved it?
Possible reasons:
- Budget constraints: $200K+ program in tight budget
- Not their responsibility: "Parents should provide internet, not schools"
- Assumption problem works itself out: "Infrastructure keeps improving"
- Don't see the compounding effect: Focused on devices, not access
- Political barriers: "Socialist! Government overreach!"
- Siloed departments: Tech knows about devices, doesn't track home access gaps
- Wrong metrics: Measure device checkout rates, not homework completion
Result: 26-year homework gap continues. Students fall behind. Achievement gaps persist. And everyone wonders why "those kids" don't do well in school.
Key Findings
Finding #1: Infrastructure Solved, Access Problem Persists
Fiber available to 99% of Grant County. But 19% still don't subscribe. Availability ≠ Adoption.
Finding #2: Devices Without Internet = Useless
100% of students have Chromebooks. But device without internet = expensive paperweight. We solved half the problem.
Finding #3: Economic + Language + Immigration Barriers Compound
Not just poverty. Poverty + Spanish-only + fear of documentation = impossible to navigate signup even when affordable options exist.
Finding #4: Current "Solutions" Are Inadequate
Hotspots, libraries, parking lot WiFi - all insufficient. Students need reliable, unlimited home internet to succeed.
Finding #5: Federal Help Ended
Affordable Connectivity Program expired June 2024. Families who got internet lost it. Back to square one.
Finding #6: District Could Solve This
$200-250K/year = universal access. It's 40-50% of annual technology budget. Technically feasible. Politically difficult.
Finding #7: The 26-Year Gap Persists
Started 1998. Still exists 2025. Will exist in 2030 unless someone decides to actually fix it.