Initiatives Aim to Close Digital Divide Among Low-Income Households

Two initiatives aimed at closing the digital divide, particularly among low-income Americans, were announced earlier this month.

Maine Free Internet

Angus King, former governor of Maine, provided the leadership to get several innovative programs for the state. As governor, King implemented a $37 million laptop program, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) in 2000, which provides all seventh and eighth-graders with laptops to ensure they had the computer skills required of the global economy. According to an impact evaluation report by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute, teachers and students view the program an overall success (see the April 19 issue of the Digest).

Now, Gov. King is launching a program through the Maine Learning Technology Foundation, in partnership with Great Works Internet, to provide free home Internet access to students who receive free or reduced-cost school lunches. The new initiative applies to all 35,000 middle school students, in addition to some ninth and tenth graders who have laptops issued to them through the school system. Discounts for high-speed Internet service to eighth-grade students and teachers who are part of the state's Laptop Program also will be available through Great Works Internet. Gov. King raised $850,000 through the Maine Learning Technology Foundation to support the program.

While announcing the initiative, Gov. King said, “Over the past three years we have clearly seen the impact that MLTI has had on our students through their increased access to information and research, as well as how it has empowered them to become self-directed learners. However, some of our students have not had the opportunity to continue their learning outside of school because they lacked access to the Internet at home. We’re now working to remedy that situation and to help these students gain that access.”

The press release notes the Internet accounts for students are not intended as a substitute for an existing commercial account and are intended for educational use. Student accounts will be filtered for content and will not include individual e-mail accounts.

Wired Homes for Low Income Families

Robert Rubin, chairman for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) together announced a $1 billion nationwide effort to build more than 15,000 affordable homes with high-speed digital Internet connectivity. LISC and its subsidiary National Equity Fund (NEF), in partnership with One Economy launched the initiative, access@home. The program expects to connect approximately 100,000 people, offering low-income families personal access to computers and technology services in addition to online connectivity.

Despite an overall increase in the number of U.S. households with computers and Internet access, low-income households remain significantly less likely to be online than middle- or high-income households, according to LISC. Americans earning less than $30,000 per year comprise only 18 percent of Internet users, despite comprising 28 percent of the population, said LISC. Families earning less than 60 percent of the median income for an area are eligible for the program and Internet access will be free for the first five years, Newsday reports. Financing for the program includes both low-income housing tax credit investments from NEF and grants and loans from LISC.

More information about the access@home program is available from LISC at: http://lisc.org/