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Power and Free Broadband To the People

Posted by samzenpus on from the get-you-some-internet dept.

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes Slashdot member and open source developer Ben Kallos @KallosEsq — who is now a NYC Councilman — is pushing to make it a precondition to Comcast's merging with Time Warner that it agree to provide free broadband to all public housing residents in the City (and by free I mean free as in beer). Kallos, along with NY's Public Advocate, Letitia James, is leading a group of state and local politicians calling on Comcast to help bridge the digital divide in NY.

6 of 262 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Just like "free" housing solved poverty! by sinij · · Score: 4, Informative

    While it would be ideal if it was possible for everyone to "just get a job", it is not for a number of reasons. First, automation and increased productivity drastically reduced locally-available jobs. Second, outsourcing and shrinking share of productivity going to bottom 10% of people put downward pressure of incomes. As such, there just not enough jobs for everyone, and jobs that are available do not get you out of poverty (fun fact: Wall Mart employees are also often on the dole, because forced part time does not pay survivable wage).

  2. Re:Just like "free" housing solved poverty! by sinij · · Score: 4, Informative

    I am not conflating, I am providing an example of a trend.

    I invite you to make high school only resume and try to get a full time job in your area. It is not as easy as you think. Even if you are driven, intelligent, and motivated, and many of the people in question are not.

  3. Re:Just like "free" housing solved poverty! by unimacs · · Score: 5, Informative

    At my son's current high school (and even to a certain extent my daughter's grade school), having Internet access at home is an expectation.

    At my son's grade school, it was a different story. They had a substantial number of kids whose families were below the poverty line and for whom Internet access could not be assumed. I was on the leadership council and the lack of Internet access for many families caused a lot of difficulties for the school both in terms of the educational materials that could be provided and in terms of communicating with parents.

    It is my opinion that poverty is partially systemic. Our economic system depends on there being a pool of available workers (unemployed and underemployed). So as long as there is capitalism and a functioning free market, there will always be poor people. That being the case, we have a responsibility to make sure the basic needs of everyone are met. Increasingly in order to succeed in school and in life, Internet access isn't really a luxury.

  4. Re:Just like "free" housing solved poverty! by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://salvationarmynorth.org/...

    It's even better than that. It turns out just giving homeless people homes saves money for states.

    So...

    --
    Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
  5. How are they going to use it? by slapout · · Score: 2, Informative

    If these people are living in poverty, how are they going to have a computer to access the internet with?

    --
    Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
  6. Re: Just like "free" housing solved poverty! by nbauman · · Score: 5, Informative

    MacDowels

    Yeah, right.

    The New York Times compared Hampus Elofsson, 24, who works for Burger King in Copenhagen, Denmark, with Anthony Moore, shift manager at Burger King, Tampa, FL. Elofsson makes 20 an hour, time and a half for overtime and Sundays, has enough for a night out with his friends and a savings account (plus government health care). Moore makes $9 an hour for a 35-hour week, gets $164 a month in food stamps, is behind on his bills, can't buy clothes for his kids, and can't afford Burger King's health plan.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10...