As summer break continues for students across the Gulf Coast, Cox Communications wants to make sure your student doesn’t ‘lose everything’ they just learned over the course of the last nine months.  

• Cox Gulf Coast Market Vice President David Deliman explains that while summer vacation brings relief from exams and testing, it is also crucial for students to continue their learning journey during this time. He stressed the importance of maintaining a connection to the internet as an effective tool to combat the “summer slide.”

“Having your child connected to the internet is one easy way to eliminate the ‘summer slide.’ Deliman shared. “There are many ways to disguise internet learning as fun. Introducing kids to educational online games and activities is always a good way to stimulate the mind when the heat index makes playing outdoors miserable.”

By engaging with educational online content and finding blogs or websites aligned with their interests, Deliman says that children can enhance their reading and comprehension skills while enjoying the summer break. He is encouraging parents to have their children read blogs out loud to family members, further improving their abilities.

While the benefits of internet access are evident, Deliman acknowledged that internet adoption remains a challenge, particularly for low-income families. To address this issue, Cox Communications offers a range of low-cost internet plans and collaborates with community partners to raise awareness of initiatives that bridge the digital divide.

• Deliman highlighted Cox’s Connect2Compete program, which has successfully connected thousands of Gulf Coast households with school-age children since its launch in 2013. 
• Through this program, families receive internet service for less than $10 per month,ensuring affordability for those in need.

Expanding on this success, Cox introduced ConnectAssist in 2021 to support qualifying low-income households that do not include students. Additionally, Cox is a participating partner in the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides a $30 per month subsidy for eligible customers, reducing the monthly broadband bill to $0 for some households.

To qualify for the ACP discount, families can meet various criteria, such as participating in the National School Lunch Program, SNAP, TANF, federal public housing, LIHEAP, WIC, Head Start, Tribal programs, or receiving a Pell Grant for the current academic year. Other eligible customers include Medicaid recipients, those receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), veterans’ pension and survivors’ benefits, and individuals with income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

“Getting connected is just the beginning,” said Deliman. “Many first-time internet users lack the digital literacy skills necessary to make the most of their internet connection.”

• To help bridge this gap, Cox offers free digital literacy training and resources through the Cox Digital Academy. Spanish-language resources are also available and range from computer and internet basics to educational games for students of all ages.  

If you or someone you know could benefit from these offerings, visit www.cox.com/digitalequity so that the only sliding your family is doing this summer is at the park or the pool.