Some politicians have touted government supplying access to the Internet to the poor in this country to level the economic playing field a bit. Maybe well intentioned, but most likely doomed to mediocre results and high costs for tax payers, at best. In steps an alternative: the private sector. Paul Chenowith reports on an entrepreneurial solution to providing high speed access to the Internet to the poor at an affordable price.
"Families pay approximately $12 per month for high speed connections via a small window mounted antenna. For the service provider, this is an untapped niche, and having many people connected at lower costs provides a revenue stream that requires less infrastructure investment per customer than hard-wired connections. Donated, self-built, and/or inexpensive computers provide the actual connection. Web sites such as the The Bee Hive provide all sorts of jump-start information for parents and students."
By the way, just so I don't get accused of being partisan, I disagree with both presidential candidates regarding their view on the need for an expanded federal role in education. Education is best left localized and in many cases, privatized.
