Google giving airports nationwide with free WiFi this holiday season may inspire good cheer, but the company is taking social philanthropy even further by delivering free wireless broadband for low-income families in Washington, D.C. through a program called Project Change Access.
Google has teamed up with One Economy, Qualcomm and Cricket Wireless to bring free wireless broadband cards and Internet service for two years to 1,000 low-income families. Many of these families will be receiving Internet in their homes for the very first time.
From the Google Public Policy blog:
Today's announcement grew out of a pilot program launched last year by One Economy and Cricket to provide free wireless broadband to several hundred low-income families in Portland, Oregon. Students who previously lacked Internet access were able to online resources to help them with their homework. Their parents were able to learn English online, access online job resources, research health care information, and more.
The project is furthered by the efforts of the Change Access Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing broadband wireless technology to low-income families across the nation. The project is borne out of a belief that "every American should have access to the immense social and economic benefits of the web," according to the Google blog.