Long Beach relaunches free internet services, devices program - Long Beach Press Telegram

Some Long Beach residents, businesses and nonprofits volition soon person escaped entree to Chromebooks, net hotspots and different integer services, the metropolis has announced.

Long Beach’s Free Internet Services and Computing Devices Program — primitively launched successful 2020 with backing from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act — is backmost up and moving again, the metropolis said this week, albeit with a fewer changes.

This clip around, the programme volition beryllium funded done the Long Beach Recovery Act, and alternatively than having residents use to the programme individually, the metropolis has partnered with 9 assemblage organizations that volition administer 1,400 Chromebooks and 1,400 net hotspots to qualified applicants based connected their exertion needs.

“We had a hotline successful 2020, which facilitate(d) unfastened applications,” Long Beach’s integer equity and inclusion officer, Rebecca Kauma, said successful a Tuesday, Oct. 18, interview. “But this time, we’re going straight done our assemblage partners who person radical who are already successful need, and who tin facilitate that abstracted exertion with their respective organization.”

Those organizations see the United Cambodian Community, Centro Community Hispanic Association, Inc., Human-I-T, and the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion, among others.

The programme is meant to span the integer disagreement successful Long Beach. Some residents deficiency entree to net services and integer devices — which prevents them from accessing captious resources indispensable for civic, societal and economical empowerment, according to the city.

Earlier this year, Long Beach was recognized arsenic a integer inclusion trailblazer for its enactment promoting integer literacy and entree citywide. In the past 2 years, Long Beach has launched a integer inclusion resources hotline, responded to much than 2,400 inquiries, and provided residents with much than 1,000 net hotspots and 1,500 computing devices.

More than 21,000 residents, according to the city, person been connected to integer inclusion resources via Long Beach’s programs.

The programme relaunch, according to a Tuesday property release, is portion of the city’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap. That plan, primitively approved by the City Council successful June 2021, sets goals to guarantee each Long Beach residents person entree to technology.

“Getting net services and devices into the hands of our underserved community,” Mayor Robert Garcia said successful the release, “is a captious constituent to ensuring integer equity present successful Long Beach.”

Residents deemed eligible to person a escaped hotspot, the merchandise said, volition besides person 1 twelvemonth of escaped net services. Qualified businesses and nonprofits volition get six months of escaped internet.

Program applicants, upon receiving their devices, tin besides enroll successful escaped machine literacy grooming enactment services — and volition person escaped method enactment services for 1 year, the merchandise said.

Residents who inactive request assistance accessing net services oregon devices — but who haven’t been identified by 1 of the 9 assemblage groups for this circumstantial programme — inactive person options for help, Kauma said.

Another program, dubbed the Affordable Connectivity Program, is unfastened to each residents — though they’ll inactive person to conscionable eligibility requirements. Those who suffice could person up to $30 per period toward their net work bill, on with a one-time $100 discount to assistance bargain a laptop, desktop computer, oregon tablet from circumstantial providers.

More accusation astir that programme is disposable astatine human-i-t.org/acp/.

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