 Consolidated Communications is helping to ease the transition from classroom learning to distance learning for schools and students by increasing bandwidth to boost school hot spots and providing Internet service. According to the U.S. Census, an estimated 18 percent of students dont have Internet access at home, in what has become known as the homework gap. For more than a month, Consolidated has assisted thousands of low-income families of students affected by recent school closings by connecting their homes to the Internet. 