Free computers and broadband net access… for poor folks in a Baltimore public housing project. Believe it or not, only two thirds of the residents have signed up so far.
“Residents typically wanted to know whether they would lose their place in public housing if the computer broke down. Some wanted to know, conversely, if they had to take the computer to keep their apartment.
Others did not want to be bothered, said Constance Mayfield, executive director of the program. “In a community like this, even though people are apprised of services, many are not accustomed” to taking advantage of them, Ms. Mayfield said, noting that this was just the sort of problem being sought out in the experiment.”
It seems that kids are the prime motivator… None of this is too surprising, but it is a good read.
