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I may be able to afford my connection costs, but staying plugged-in is not cheap; a comparison of Comcast and Verizon shows prices between $69.99 and $100.00 a month, before taxes, for varying internet and cable packages.  For low-income families, prioritizing access comes after purchasing food, making loan payments, buying clothes and filling up the car with gas. Yet in the digital age, it’s becoming evident that children without basic technological skills will be at a disadvantage in the workforce and society.

A 2010 Federal Communications Commission survey estimated that 93 million Americans over the age of five – about 35 percent of the nation - did not have access to broadband internet at home. These statistics are disproportionately high for lower-income communities; take the Waukegan School District, where over half of students receive free or reduced price lunch – and where an estimated 40-50 percent of the 16,500 students do not have broadband at home. This “digital divide” is a topic of growing importance in the field of education innovation and policy. While educators, administrators and experts look for ways to incorporate technology into schools and utilize online learning in the classroom, rural and low-income communities face an overall lack of infrastructure where access and implementation are concerned.

Comcast recently launched Internet Essentials, a special FCC supported program for low-income families who live within their coverage footprint. For $9.99 a month, families can receive broadband access without signing into a contract, and a one-time voucher for $149.99, they can purchase a netbook. To participate, they must submit documentation that at least one child in the family receives a subsidized lunch. Comcast is doing widespread outreach, particularly though schools and the broader education community, hoping to reach large numbers of low-income families. Corporate and business dollars in classrooms are controversial to say the least; this initiative recognizes the value of access for families and communities while limiting school involvement to using established indicators and raising awareness.  

There is no shortage of examples when it comes to the implementation gap between policies and reality, and the digital divide illustrates this disconnect. Those without basic digital access – in homes and at schools – often get overlooked by those at the macro level who take it for granted. While every wide-scale effort deserves careful scrutiny, this instance of corporate community investment is a palpable reaction to very real inequalities inherent in the lack of broadband access.