Google Expanding Free Internet Access in US

Giving away access makes sense assuming that those who take advantage then spend money on the available services - which is where the real opportunity lies for both providers and users. JL

Angela Moscaritolo reports in PC Magazine:

Providing an Internet connection is just one piece of the puzzle. People can only take advantage of the many benefits of the Web when they understand why it matters and know how to use it.
Google will provide free Internet to residents in select public and affordable housing properties across the country.
The program is launching in every current and future Google Fiber market, costing $0 a month with no installation fee, the Web giant said. At this point, Google Fiber is available in the Kansas City area; Austin, Texas; and Provo, Utah but Google plans to soon expand it to Atlanta; Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C; Nashville, Tenn.; Salt Lake City; Phoenix, Portland, Ore., San Antonio; and San Jose, Calif.
The initiative is part of ConnectHome, a new program from the White House and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that aims to bring Internet connectivity to more school-aged children and families living in assisted housing in 27 communities across the country.
"We're proud to partner with HUD to connect families in four of the communities they've selected — Atlanta, Durham, Nashville and Kansas City," Erica Swanson, head of community impact for Google Fiber, said in a blog post. "We'll also extend the program to every other current and future Google Fiber market."
Google is not the only provider participating in ConnectHome. CenturyLink will hook up HUD households in Seattle for $9.95 per month the first year and $14.95 for the next four years, similar to what Comcast has done with Internet Essentials. Cox Communications will do the same in Macon, Meriden, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans for eligible K-12 families residing in public housing, as will Sprint.
In the Choctaw Tribal Nation, Cherokee Communications, Pine Telephone, Suddenlink Communications, and Vyve Broadband will also work to provide high-speed Internet to 425 of Choctaw's public housing residents.
Google will also develop basic computer courses and create computer labs for training in each of its Fiber markets.
"Providing an Internet connection is just one piece of the puzzle," Swanson wrote. "People can only take advantage of the many benefits of the Web when they understand why it matters and know how to use it."
In November, Google partnered with the Housing Authority in Austin, Texas to help bring free Internet and digital literacy classes to public housing residents in the city. More than 90 percent of residents in the first public housing property it wired signed up for the service, and more than half completed the digital literacy training."With support from local organizations and city leaders, we hope to see this same kind of success across the country," Swanson wrote.
The announcement comes as the White House Council of Economic Advisers released a report that found progress has been made to bridge the digital divide. But "there is still a substantial distance to go, particularly in our poorest neighborhoods and most rural communities, to ensure that all Americans can take advantage of the opportunities created by recent advances in computing and communications technology."