Sunday, February 25, 2007

Houston WiFi to benefit lower-income residents | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "City's WiFi plan: Access for all
Lower-income residents could be among top beneficiaries of mayor's proposal

By ALEXIS GRANT
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The Internet remains inaccessible to many low-income people. Some Houston numbers:

• 270,000 : Households without Internet

• 40,000 : Low-income discounts available under city's planned wireless Internet system

• $10 : Discount monthly price for access to planned city wireless system

• $22 : Approximate regular monthly price

Source: City of Houston

Mireya Zenil isn't used to going to the library every time she wants to use the Internet.

Until a month ago, the 17-year-old used a cable connection in her eastside home to do online research for school projects or check her MySpace account. But her parents recently canceled their Internet service because it was too pricey, and they're now shopping for a cheaper connection."

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