From the Chicago Tribune:
All families with school-age children in suburban Cook County public housing buildings will be eligible for free broadband internet under a program funded through federal coronavirus stimulus money, officials announced Wednesday.
The Housing Authority of Cook County joined Comcast under the company’s Internet Essentials Partnership Program to begin delivering internet to nearly 14,000 children in more than 6,500 households, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in a news conference at Richard Flowers Community Housing in south suburban Robbins.
“The challenges being faced today are unlike any that I encountered during my tenure. In fact, they’re greater than what we’ve ever seen in modern history,” Preckwinkle said. “And that leaves us trying to connect teachers and students in new and creative ways. We must now use technology to provide meaningful instruction to our young people.”
Every student who lives in the public housing complexes or has a voucher qualifies for the program, which will run for at least nine months. About 600 families are currently signed on to the service, HACC Executive Director Richard Monocchio said. The county is paying for the $9.95-per-month bundle for these families with about $600,000 in federal CARES Act money.
Read the Chicago Tribune's article "Families in suburban Cook County public housing to get free internet in Comcast program funded by federal CARES Act dollars," featuring the Housing Authority of Cook County.