Chairman Julius Genachowski Speech on “Connect to Compete” Broadband Adoption Initiative
On November 9, 2011, at a public school in Washington, D.C., Chairman Genachowski applauded executives and nonprofit leaders from leading Internet service providers, technology companies and nonprofits for their unprecedented multi-billion dollar in-kind commitments to empower millions of families with broadband Internet, PCs, and digital literacy training, with zero cost to tax payers. Last month, the Chairman also proposed a Digital Literacy Corps to expand training across America by enabling thousands of more libraries and schools to host in-person, basic digital literacy training programs.
According to the Pew Research Center, one-third of all Americans – 100 million people – have not adopted broadband high-speed Internet at home. The commitments are an unprecedented first-of-its-kind national effort designed to address the cost barriers to broadband adoption, digital literacy and the employment skills gap. According to the Pew Research Center, one-third of all Americans— 100 million people – have not adopted broadband high-speed Internet at home. The public-private partnership seeks to overcome the top obstacles to broadband adoption, including digital literacy, relevance and cost.