On March 16, 2022, Cox Communications officials announced their decision to increase the speed of their low-income internet products from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps – that’s almost two times! These low-income internet products include Connect2Compete, which is available to families with school-aged children enrolled in classes K-12 participating in a government assistance program, and Cox ConnectAssist, which is an affordable internet package for households who take part in the government’s income-based assistance programs like Medicaid.

The intent behind Cox’s decision to boost the speed of its low-budget internet programs is to facilitate students and low-income households with better network speeds and to make internet access easy and economical for all. So, after this change, Connect2Compete and ConnectAssist plans, having speeds up to 50 Mbps, will offer up to 100 Mbps download speed without any extra charge, effective from March 31, 2022.

This isn’t the first time that the speeds of the low-income packages have been increased. Back in the October of 2019, Cox Internet speed for low-cost programs was increased by 65% (up to 25 Mbps) for Connect2Compete, and then again from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps in March 2020 during the pandemic. A year after that, Cox decided to make these new speeds permanent and on May 12, 2021, it was made official. Let’s learn more about the latest speed upgrade in this blog.

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps Download Speed

Now, all Connect2Compete and ConnectAssist subscribers can enjoy speeds up to 100 Mbps when downloading. Uploading speeds are also being increased. The best thing about this new reform is that it is set to be implemented automatically upon all Compete2Connect and ConnectAssist subscriptions; customers would not have to do anything in particular in order to avail themselves of this.

President Patrick J. Esser has indicated how passionate Cox Communications is about empowering kids with the strength of technology and tools. He emphasized that Cox believes in striving to help children create a bright future for themselves, adding that the main purpose of increasing the speed of the Connect2Compete program is to facilitate school-going children since they need the internet the most in order to be productive and competitive in and out of the classroom.

The actual intent of this speed increase was to provide high-speed internet to more and more people during the pandemic and amid tense financial situations. But now as restrictions are being eased and people are returning to their offices and schools, Cox is still determined to give the best internet experience to its customers regardless of the circumstances, said Pat back in 2021 when making the earlier speed increases permanent.

No Modem Fee or Additional Charges

Cox proudly declares that it has provided around 500,000 people the opportunity to use the internet through its Connect2Compete program. The most interesting thing about Cox’s Connect2Compete program is that the customer doesn’t have to bear the burden of modem rental and/or additional charges. No deposit fee is required and the customers can avail themselves of this program without their credit score meeting the otherwise set benchmarks. The same is the case with the ConnectAssist program in which the modem and Wifi router is included at no additional cost.

Cox Promoting Digital Literacy Through Cox Digital Academy

Back in 2017, Cox Communications expanded the Connect2Compete program by providing several free online tools through the Cox Digital Academy. The sole purpose of this extension was to increase digital literacy among children and low-income families so they can stay in touch with the ever-changing dynamics of the technological age.

In 2018, Cox conducted a survey and gathered the opinion of 1700 Connect2Compete participants. The survey indicated:

  • 95% of parents believed that Connect2Compete facilitated communication with teachers and schools.
  • 94% of guardians thought that the program placed their children on the ladder to success.
  • 88% of participants deemed Connect2Compete the reason why their children took more interest in school work.
  • 97% of participants stated that the internet actually made their lives easier.
  • 91% of Cox Connect2Compete customers agreed that low-cost internet gave their children an advantage in high school graduation.

You may have heard of this program just now, but Connect2Compete has in fact been here for almost two decades. It boasts a strong history of providing internet access to students and families in the low-income tier. The company continues to do so through both public and private partnerships and tries its best to provide quality services to the communities it serves. It would not be an overstatement to say that Cox is lending a helping hand in creating strongly intact neighborhoods, schools, and cities by connecting different community centers, clubs, and homes.

On the other hand, the Cox ConnectAssist program was introduced after the pandemic to help low-income households avail themselves of good and cost-effective internet, considering the dire financial situation that the whole country was facing at that time period.

Wrapping Up

Cox Communications is dedicated to shaping a hyper-connected future through broadband services. One of the largest telecom companies in America, Cox is serving approximately 20 million people across 18 states. The best thing about it is that it is committed to making America digital-friendly.