According to a statement by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, the government is investing $8.8 million to connect up to 30,000 families without internet at home nationwide.

“As NSW students return to school, it is essential they have access to reliable broadband at home to fully engage in online learning," she said.

“The School Student Broadband Initiative is already making a serious difference for thousands of families who have been able to enjoy the benefits of broadband for the first time," she added.

The NSW Department of Education is urging families to sign up and to leverage the program.

The government said eligible families are issued with a voucher they can redeem with a participating internet provider.

The service begins when the service is activated. It is available across all NBN technologies.

According to the government, more than 1,000 families in NSW, almost 8,000 across the country, have already been connected to free internet as a result of the initiative.

To be eligible, a family must:
Have a child living at home enrolled in an Australian school;
Have no active broadband service over the NBN network;
Live in a premises where they can access a standard NBN service.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 09 April 2024.