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We have a crisis on our hands. ‘Close the Divide’ aims to provide Idaho’s low-income students with laptops, internet ahead of school year

July 28, 2020 /

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200,000 Idaho students need computers by August.

Due to COVID-19, we have a massive educational challenge looming. Remote learning is the next normal. Help close the digital divide before school begins this fall.

According to a survey of Idaho school districts, 176,000 students do not have a computer at home, and at least 30,000 do not have Wi-Fi.

“People can donate money, and that money can go either to buy computers or internet service for students this fall.”

Close the Divide

Chase Biefeldt (KTVB)

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Billings, other Montana schools begin paying for some students’ home internet amid remote shift

Several school leaders in Montana have put small-scale plans in place to address what they view as a long-simmering equity issue. Public school districts in Billings, Missoula, and Great Falls all began or will begin to pay for some students’ home internet access.

One sad thing all Montanans share: Horrible broadband – We rank dead last — 50th in the nation — for broadband internet access.

Even in some of our largest communities, the investment in broadband infrastructure is either non-existent or so spotty that it is not even worth trying to make a call or send an email.

Microsoft CEO: Broadband internet access is a ‘fundamental right’

Especially in rural areas of the country, many lack access to broadband internet — and thus have struggled to participate in the remote learning, working and health care that have allowed others to adapt during the crisis.

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