Maine program led by former Gov. Angus King to give kids free Internet

Former Gov. Angus King, who launched the initiative that put computers on the laps of middle schoolers, announced yesterday another program aimed at eliminating the so-called digital divide: free home Internet for kids who receive free or reduced-cost school lunches.

King raised $850,000 through the Maine Learning Technology Foundation and worked with Great Works Internet to create the program aimed at placing low-income middle school students on equal footing with others who already have Internet access.

The Internet service provider also agreed to offer discounts for high-speed service for seventh- and eighth-graders and teachers who are part of the laptop program.

"It helps to realize the promise of equity that was one of the great ideas at the beginning. Now every seventh- and eighth-grader in Maine not only has access at school but also access to the Internet and all of the information it contains at home," King said.

The program applies to all of the state’s 35,000 middle schoolers, as well as some ninth- and 10th-graders who have laptops issued to them at schools.

By DAVID SHARP
The Associated Press

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