A large portion of Bridgeport's 22,000 students would qualify for free broadband access under a proposal that would bring the Internet to low-income families and students.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is hoping to bridge the digital divide with the Broadband Adoption Act of 2015 that he co-authored this week. The plan would subsidize broadband Internet service for eligible households and expand the Universal Service Fund Lifeline Assistance Program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission, which currently subsidizes basic landline and mobile phone services for low-income Americans.

Murphy is scheduled to appear Friday at Harding High School in Bridgeport to underscore the importance of Internet access -- something that most Americans take for granted.

"It's becoming increasingly important as we move to more tech-based learning and we use more technology in our teaching and learning at all levels," said Bridgeport schools interim superintendent, Fran Rabinowitz. "Being able to provide (Internet access) for low-income families would be phenomenal."

Most of the Bridgeport student body would qualify because they already receive federally subsidized free- and reduced-cost lunches on the basis of low family income, Rabinowitz said.

Children in grades seven to 12 already have inexpensive school-provided laptops but many lack access to the Internet at home. Such access would help children with homework and allow parents to track their kids' academic progress in real time through the school system's "data warehouse," Rabinowitz said.

Low-income students already go to great lengths to get on the Internet when home-connections aren't available.

"I've heard of high school students having to write their papers on a smart phone, or having to sit in a parking lot at night just so they can access the school Wi-Fi," said Connecticut Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz, who will be at the Harding High School event Friday.

In Danbury, 54 percent of students receive subsidized free- and reduced-cost lunches, qualifying them for broadband assistance under Murphy's bill. In Stamford, it's about 50 percent.

"In Connecticut, thousands of residents in places like Bridgeport, New Haven, and Hartford have one hand tied behind their back because they lack the ability to pay for an Internet connection," said Murphy. "Our Broadband Adoption Act will help put an end to this inequity."

Late last month, the FCC announced it would expand the Lifeline program to include provision of broadband Internet. The Murphy bill would put the force of law behind the effort so a future president could not automatically end it, Murphy's spokesman, Chris Harris, said.

The Lifeline program dates back to 1985 under President Ronald Reagan. It was initially an effort to subsidize landlines for low-income families. It was expanded to cellphones in 2008 under President George W. Bush.

Even so, conservative critics have attached the name "Obamaphone" to cellphone distribution, calling it another example of wasteful government spending.

"Before again expanding the program, we need to consider what problems remain and how we can address them, since consumers are bearing the cost of funding the program with increasing phone bills," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., at a Senate hearing earlier this month.

But supporters say the benefits far outweigh the costs.

"If you don't have access to the Internet, you are completely left out of the ability to get even a minimum-wage job," Katz said, noting that 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies post job openings and applications online only.