The $50 million plan has been funded by philanthropic donations, the Chicago public school system and city funds. Chicago Connected will begin contacting households that can benefit from the program this week before supplying wired broadband connections through RCN Corp. and Comcast Corp. In New York City, for instance, around 40% of households don’t have both home and mobile broadband access, and 18% lack either, according to a digital equity plan released in January by the Mayor’s office. Studies show that internet access is linked closely with socioeconomic factors such as poverty and racial demographics. Lawmakers say there is bipartisan support for addressing the problem of unequal access to broadband.

Source: Wall Street Journal July 09, 2020 09:33 UTC