The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a program to connect thousands of public housing residents across the nation to the Internet at low prices or free, part of a broader effort to close the so-called digital divide and help low-income Americans succeed in a technology-driven society.þþAppearing at a school in Durant, Okla., in the heart of the Choctaw Nation, where 32 percent of children live in poverty, Mr. Obama said it was unacceptable for young people not to have access to the same technological resources in their homes that their wealthier counterparts do. Among them could be “the next Mark Zuckerberg, the next Bill Gates,” he said.þþ“If we don’t get these young people the access to what they need to achieve their potential, then it’s our loss; it’s not just their loss,” Mr. Obama told an audience of 900 at Durant High School that included women in colorful dresses and children with paper headdresses.þþ“They’ve got big dreams,” he added. “We’ve got to have an interest in making sure they can achieve those dreams.”þþOver all, 275,000 households, including 200,000 children, will be eligible for free Internet connections or, in some areas, broadband hookups that cost as little as $9.95 a month.þþJeff Zients, director of the National Economic Council at the White House, called the program a major step in the president’s effort to provide every community in the nation with affordable Internet access.þþ“We all know the transformative effect technology has had on the American economy,” Mr. Zients said on a call with reporters.þþThe announcement was timed to coincide with the release of an analysis on Wednesday from the White House Council of Economic Advisers that highlights how some Americans, especially low-income families with children, do not benefit from broadband service, despite the rapid increase in Internet use in America in recent years. Nearly two-thirds of the lowest-income households own computers, but less than half have home Internet subscriptions, according to the report.þþ“While many middle-class U.S. students go home to Internet access, allowing them to do research, write papers and communicate digitally with their teachers and other students, too many lower-income children go unplugged every afternoon when school ends,” a statement about the report said. “This ‘homework gap’ runs the risk of widening the achievement gap, denying hard-working students the benefit of a technology-enriched education.”þþThe pilot program, ConnectHome, will be carried out in different forms in public housing units in 27 cities and in one Native American tribal area, largely focusing on households with school-age children. The program will involve city officials; eight Internet providers, like Cox Communications; at least one university; and even Best Buy, which will offer computer training to residents in some cities.þþIn Macon, Ga., the program will offer residents a chance to buy tablets with educational software installed for $30 each. Other communities will receive free help with SAT preparation and free technical support. Google Fiber will offer free Internet connections to some public housing residents in Atlanta; Durham, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Nashville.þþMr. Obama announced the ConnectHome program in the capital of the Choctaw Nation, where 425 public housing residents will be eligible to receive low-cost Internet connections and free digital literacy classes.þþThe program is an extension of the president’s ConnectED initiative, which was announced in 2013. It aimed to link 99 percent of the students from kindergarten through 12th grade to high-speed Internet in classrooms and libraries over the next five years.þþThe housing secretary, Julián Castro, in his first public speech in the role last year, cited expanding broadband access as a priority, mentioning how people lean against the windows outside a library in the Bronx in search of free Wi-Fi for their phones.þþMr. Castro on Wednesday also announced rules that would require new public housing and major renovations to include infrastructure to support broadband connections. He noted that while computers are not being provided to residents now, the agency is exploring opportunities with partners to do so. “We’re not just making the Internet more accessible, but more meaningful,” he said.þþThe new program is part of a renewed vigor in the Obama administration’s housing agenda coming late in his final term and recently emboldened by a Supreme Court ruling endorsing a broad interpretation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. That ruling allows for more lawsuits that civil rights groups say could help fight housing discrimination. Last week, the administration announced a new effort to reduce racial segregation in neighborhoods by requiring municipalities to track how they will use federal housing money to reduce racial disparities or face penalties.þþThe Federal Communications Commission also recently proposed helping low-income people with Internet bills. The agency’s chairman, Tom Wheeler, has proposed expanding an initiative that originally was intended to offer subsidies for ordinary telephone service to a choice of phone service, Internet service or a mix of both.þþThe median price of broadband in America is $35 to $75 a month, depending on the speed of the connection.þþAccording to an analysis of government data from the Pew Research Center, about 75 percent of Americans whose annual household income is under $30,000 have Internet connections, compared with 98 percent of those with annual incomes above $75,000. Blacks and Hispanics are less likely to have Internet connections at home.þþWhile many Americans, even those with low incomes, have smartphones that connect to the Internet using a cellular plan, a home Internet connection would help them stay beneath cellular data caps and avoid additional fees, some housing advocates and researchers said.þþ“People see this as a way to improve their lives, to apply for jobs, to access and get things that are meaningful to their lives,” said Aaron Smith, an associate director at Pew.þþSome municipalities have already begun programs. Austin, Tex., for example, offers free broadband connections to nearly 2,000 households in public housing, as well as the chance to earn a free refurbished computer after completing a training course.þþDoing homework or applying for a job is much easier on a computer screen than on a tiny smartphone screen, said Catherine Crago, strategic initiatives manager for Austin’s housing authority. Also, she said, some websites, including government sites, do not interact well with smartphones.þþ
Source: NY Times
