Google and other Companies to Give DC’s Low-Income Families Free Wireless Broadband
Yesterday at Kramer Middle School in Anacostia the One Economy Corporation, Cricket Wireless, Google and Qualcomm announced their collaboration to provide 1,000 D.C.-area low-income families free wireless broadband for two years. One Economy will be working with area community organizations to identify the families to receive the broadband cards. Over the next several weeks, up to 1,000 wireless broadband cards will be distributed through these community partners to low-income families across the District.
From the press release:
“It is unacceptable that low income Americans are being left out of the digital revolution in the very country where the Internet was invented,” said Alan Davidson, Google’s Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs. “Google is strongly committed to making sure that all Americans have access to broadband Internet. We are thrilled to support this effort to bring the tremendous economic and social benefits of the Web to underserved students and families in Washington, D.C.”
The wireless service is being provided free of charge by broadband cards provided by Cricket Wireless, which entered the DC mobile phone market earlier this summer, and offers pre-paid plans that do not require a contract or credit check – the same sort of plans that just happen to be used very often by same low-income families who’d be getting free broadband. (Isn’t that a nice coincidence? ☺ )
The free broadband is great for the 1,000 or so families that will receive the these wireless cards, and I applaud the companies involved for making it happen…but what about all the thousands of other lower-income people in the District who can’t afford broadband? What do they get?
What I’d like to see is free wireless broadband across the entire District of Columbia provided as a free municipal service. Of course, there would be companies that would object to this and would lobby to stop it — but if we are serious about preparing our children and existing workforce for a 21st century economy, we need make sure all our citizens have access to free and ubiquitous broadband.
It would be a real shame if the next Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Sergey Brin is currently a DC kid who couldn’t realize his potential because he didn’t get one of these free broadband cards or computers.
More information:
Free wireless broadband for low-income families in the District
