Free internet for school children

Australian Government School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI), providing free home internet for unconnected families with school age students.
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Background

In 2023, the Australian Government established the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) to provide free home internet until 31/12/2025 for up to 30,000 unconnected families with school age students.

Giving unconnected students the opportunity to access fast and reliable broadband internet at home is important to support their learning and education in an increasingly digital world.

NBN Co is leading implementation of this initiative and is working closely with industry, government and community organisations that support the wellbeing of families who could benefit from the SSBI.

Families can find out more or sign up by contacting the National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610 (Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm AEDT) - or by visiting the website: www.anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet.

Who is eligible?

To qualify, a family must:

• Have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school.
• Do not currently have an active nbn network internet service at home – having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility.
• Live in premises that can access the nbn network through a standard connection.

How does the School Student Broadband Initiative work?

The home internet service will be provided to students and their families until 31/12/2025 by a participating internet provider over the nbn network at no cost. The initiative does not include a device such as a computer or tablet.

Note: The Australian Government is considering options beyond this initiative.

Families can contact the SSBI National Referral Centre (NRC) to check their eligibility for the Initiative. After a family contacts the NRC, an operator will verbally check their eligibility and support the family to get connected through a participating internet provider. Please note that as per the above criteria, no supporting paperwork or background checks are required.

What will the National Referral Centre help with?

• Eligibility checks – the National Referral Centre team will assess the family’s need and check their residential address against the eligibility criteria.
• Call back, webchat and interpreting services are available for families and organisations.
• Available to assist the family with contacting the participating SSBI internet service provider of choice.
• Providing follow-up support for eligible families and available for any queries.