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Midco is working with local school districts to make sure that students learning from home because of the coronavirus outbreak have the internet access they need to study remotely.

In a message sent to schools about why Midco is providing the free service, the company states that Midco admires the efforts of educators to support their students and continue their education and that internet access is key to those efforts.

“We know internet access it vital to making online learning possible and want to ensure the students in our communities have the connection they need,” the message states.

Midco, which offers phone, cable and internet services, introduced the new service on Friday in an effort to keep the communities it serves connected through the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Midco Director of Government Relations Andrew Curley. Curley said in an email to the Journal-World that the new service, Midco Internet Basics, provides 25/3 Mbps speeds and a modem. He said the service would be free through June 15 for low-income students and families who do not currently have an internet connection at home and need one for remote learning.

Curley said the free service would be available to all of the schools in Midco’s service area, which in Douglas County comprise both the Lawrence and Eudora school districts. He said Midco was working with school districts to reach out to students who could benefit from the service.

Curley didn’t provide a specific income threshold for the service, saying that Midco has encouraged the school districts to identify the families who they think need the service and provide Midco’s contact information to them. He added that if a family thought it would qualify as low-income and lacked internet service, it could contact Midco at 1-833-338-4638.