BEC Expands Broadband Reach to Help PCCS Students

Photo courtesy of Pipe Creek Christian School

Bandera Electric Cooperative recently expanded its free internet for education program to include Pipe Creek Christian School.

PCCS is a small school that provides big opportunities to a little more than 40 students. BEC worked with the nonprofit to offer broadband internet to PCCS students without internet access to ensure children are successful in their education during the governor’s no-school mandate due to COVID-19.

“The community as a whole has been so supportive. Making sure teachers and students have internet access is a wonderful thing, and we appreciate BEC Fiber for making it possible,” said PCCS Representative Patricia Huckabee.

PCCS is utilizing the virtual meeting platform Zoom to conduct regular coursework and interact with students remotely to retain a sense of normalcy, a process made possible by high-speed internet.

 “We feel honored that our members look to us for support in a time of crisis, and we are making every effort to uphold the Cooperative Principle Concern for Community,” said BEC Fiber Manager Shane Schmidt. “We are working diligently to expand the fiber network as quickly as possible to provide reliable broadband internet for students and members of the community as schooling and working from home has become more pervasive,” said Schmidt.

The BEC Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Bandera Electric Cooperative, has defrayed the cost for more than 100 students to receive a 25 megabit per second broadband internet plan through June 30. The Foundation’s mission is to support qualifying organizations in its service area through charitable contributions with a focus on education, safety and overall concern for community.