What is community impact: Google offering free internet services to low income housing

What is community impact: Google offering free internet services to low income housing

The search company has announced its Google Fiber networks will bring free internet capability.

Google Fiber markets are now offering free Internet connectivity to low income housing as part of an initiative with the White House and US Department of Housing and Development (HUD).

A Google Fiber Blog post written by Erica Swanson, Google Fiber’s Head of Community Impact, announced the initiative on Wednesday July 15. The plan is to bring Internet with a $0 installation fee and no monthly payments to families living in HUD-assisted housing in 28 communities across the country. The program will also provide training in web-usage to the families, and will eventually extend to every American Google Fiber market.

PC News reports the current markets are Kansas City, Austin, and Provo. Expansion plans include Atlanta, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, and San Jose.

“The web is where we go to connect with people, learn new subjects, and find opportunities for personal and economic growth,” Swanson writes. “But not everyone benefits from all the web has to offer.” She cited statistics demonstrating the “income-gap” of Internet usage, indicating that 26% of households earning less than $30,000 a year don’t use the web vs 3% of households earning $75,000 a year.

The initiative is part of ConnectHome, a program run by the White House and HUD designed to bring Internet advantages to disadvantaged homes, especially school-aged children. Other participants in the program have included Comcast, Cox Communications, Sprint, and Century Link, all of whom have offered significantly discounted services to HUD housing residents.

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