Twin Cities families get needed lift across digital divide

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The divide is deep in our Twin Cities. Only 57 percent of residents of the Phillips neighborhood have computers with Internet access, as do 65 percent of residents on the Near North Side, compared with 82 percent of households citywide. That’s why an 11th-hour save by Internet provider Comcast deserves our thanks.

Comcast leapt in to partner with St. Paul-based PCs for People to offer 8,500 Twin Cities families low-priced Internet services that they were about to lose. PCs for People’s executive director, Casey Sorensen, explained that along with giving away nearly 10,000 refurbished computers this year, his nonprofit has offered Internet services to thousands of low-income Twin Citians through a wireless-data network from Sprint. When Sprint suddenly announced it was shutting down its outdated network in early November, Sorensen scrambled to keep his clients connected. Comcast’s “Internet Essentials” offers high-speed home Internet for $10 a month, plus free Wi-Fi, free installation and free Internet training. No contract or credit check is required, which sets it apart from other providers, Sorensen said. Families getting wind of the news are jumping in to register.


Twin Cities families get needed lift across digital divide