OneCommunity’s Connect Your Community program is transforming communities through technology. And they are on a mission to expand high-speed broadband access and adoption in order to do so. They know that when affordable Internet access is not accessible in their communities, the impacts are enormous; increased unemployment, poor access to healthcare resources and decreased educational opportunities.
The challenge? More than half of the participants in their program have an annual household income below $15,000 and there are few low-cost Internet options available that participants would be able to afford. By partnering with Mobile Citizen and its low-cost solution, OneCommunity is able to bring affordable, mobile Internet to as many people as possible.
Prior to Connect Your Community’s program, more than 36 percent of Mobile Citizen adopters had never used a computer and more than 27 percent used a computer less than three hours a week, likely at a library or other public location. Now with affordable Internet access and training, more than 90 percent of CYC’s program participants regularly access the Internet, many at home for the first time thanks to OneCommunity’s partnership with Mobile Citizen. By making affordable Internet and computer training more readily available, One Community is making a difference.
“Much of the obstacle related to Internet adoption is cost. Mobile Citizen helps us make Internet affordable so we can serve more people through our program.”
— Bill Callahan, OneCommunity Project Director