The headlines underscore the massive challenges ahead of us: 1 in 5 California students lack computers and Wi-Fi. Coronavirus exposes L.A.’s economic and racial digital divide. Depression-era jobless rates loom. None of us could have imagined when the governor laid out his visionary Broadband for […]
Author: Alana O'Brien
The study cites 2019 research by the California Emerging Technology Fund at the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies that shows the affordability barrier affects low-income families and communities of color the most. The research found that 89% of white Californians sampled were connected via […]
“Revenue bonds have the interest carried in the financing package,” and do not require voter approval, said Sunne Wright McPeak, president and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund, a statewide nonprofit whose mission is to close the digital divide. McPeak’s organization is also advocating […]
For the first time, the 2020 Census will be available online and one way we can ensure an accurate and complete count is getting people connected to the Internet. Getting homes connected to the Internet isn’t just a sensible solution for a complete count; it’s […]
California State Superintendent of Public Education Tony Thurmond released a plan Wednesday to get students back in public schools, and in order for certain requirements to be met, many students will continue to learn from home. The guidelines for students to return to school include […]
The initiative, which aims to bring internet connection to some of the city’s poorest households, was launched in 2016 but ramped up once the pandemic forced kids into distance learning. The San José City Council also voted unanimously to amend the city’s contract with the […]
San José leaders have devised a plan to provide every student with broadband access adn digital tools, calling on private technology companies to help bridge the digital divide as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to broaden the gap. After approving an update to teh digital inclusion […]
In California, COVID-19 and school closures have exposed the depth of the digital divide. But in San Jose, the state and private partners have a strategy that boosts digital inclusion and could be a model nation wide.
It’s 7a.am, and I turn on the computer to begin my daily shelter-in-place, work-from-home routine. I give little thought the the fact that I’m privileged to have high-speed Inernet access at home and the technology to go online. Sadly, that is not the case for thousands […]
Several state legislators are calling on service providers to do more for low-income families during school closures, saying that their constituents aren’t able to benefit from the deals or simply don’t know about them. The California Emerging Technology Fund has published a list of recommendations […]