Nationwide Computer Donation and Recycling Effort to Help Narrow the Digital Divide

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski joined representatives from Connect2Compete (C2C), Redemtech, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) to announce the launch of a nationwide computer recycling and donation effort to support C2C’s efforts to close the digital divide.

Nearly 60% of low-income households do not have a desktop or laptop computer and 36% of Americans without broadband cite the cost of a computer as a major barrier to adoption. Among Latinos, about 50% have a broadband connection, compared with nearly 70% of the general population.

C2C is a national nonprofit coalition to help narrow the digital divide by making high-speed Internet access, computers, education and jobs content, and digital literacy training more accessible for Americans without home connectivity. The program recently announced the first-ever, multi-media, multilingual, nationwide ad campaign on digital literacy with the Ad Council, which will launch in early 2013.

Related Materials

• Chairman Genachowski's Remarks [1]
• Fact Sheet [2]
• Fact Sheet (Spanish Version) [3]

Participants

• Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
• Ben Hecht, Chairman, Connect2Compete
• Jill Vaske, Executive Vice President, Redemtech
• Elliott Gaskins, Chief Development Officer, LAYC
• Darryl Morin, State Director, LULAC