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Case Study

Bridging the Digital Divide

Organization
PCs for People
Market
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

PCs for People creates new opportunities by providing personal computers and education to people who have limited experience with technology due to social, physical and/or economic circumstances. Since the organization’s inception in 1998, they’ve distributed more than 20,000 computers to people in need. Over the years, however, times have changed and simply owning a computer is insufficient. Job searching, school work, research and communications don’t happen without access to the Internet.

PCs for People had been interested in offering Internet to their clients for years, however attempts to partner with large home Internet providers never materialized. So in October of 2012 they began bundling low-cost, high-speed mobile Internet from Mobile Citizen and the people they were able to serve doubled from the previous year. For more than 80 percent of PCs for People’s clients, this is the first time they’ve owned a computer and now they can do more with it.

“Mobile Citizen’s low-cost, mobile Internet program was flexible and allowed us to be more involved. That allowed us to bring additional services and build closer relationships with the people we serve.”

— Casey Sorensen, PCs for People’s Executive Director