President Barack Obama has made it a national priority to offer broadband internet to homes across the country, authorizing a portion of the federal stimulus package to accomplish this goal.
In the pursuit of this aim, Intel, Dell and Fujitsu recently announced a partnership with nonprofit organization Connected Nation to offer deeply discounted computers and broadband internet access to low-income and unconnected households across the country.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Intel, Dell, Fujitsu and Connected Nation are “on the verge” of submitting a $24 million grant proposal to the government to help fund the organization’s mission.
According to this proposal, private companies would match the government donation by providing equipment such as laptops and desktops, the newspaper reported.
Connected Nation is also in the process of asking designated internet service providers to offer their service at a large discount to eligible families for at least one year.
Together, these initiatives could enable families to buy computers for as little as $50 and broadband internet for $15 per month, Connected Nation CEO Brian Mefford told the Journal.
Connected Nation – whose focus is facilitating public-private partnerships with broadband and related technology providers – aims to increase broadband availability in underserved rural and urban communities, believing that this can provide “dramatic results that translate into economic and community development, better education, higher quality healthcare, more efficient public service and improved quality of life,” the organization’s website read.
The Connected Nation initiative will fall under President Obama’s Broadband Stimulus Plan, which has authorized $4.7 billion in grants to subsidize internet service providers who help spread internet access to low-income households across the country. The deadline to apply for grants has been extended from August 14 to August 20.
