HB 23, which authorizes EMCs to provide broadband services, was passed unanimously yesterday in the state House with 169 yeas and 0 nays.
As InsiderAdvantage reported in late December, Senate Bill 2, pre-filed by Sen. Steve Gooch, also aims to authorize Georgia’s Electric Membership Corporations to offer broadband internet services.
In a survey conducted by the Joint High-Speed Broadband Communications Access for all Georgians Study Committee, 61 percent of participants reported they “were not able to purchase broadband speed needed,” and almost 16 percent reported they could “not get wireless service.”
Since Gooch’s filing, we’ve reported on the internet “have-nots,” including Georgia families who seek internet access at fast food restaurants and other public places so their children can download and complete homework assignments.
Estimates of internet access vary nationwide. The U. S. Department of Education reported that 61 percent of children ages 3 to 18 had home internet access in 2015. And an FCC report estimated about 10 percent of Georgia’s population does not have access to fixed, high-speed internet, a problem particularly severe in rural communities.
In this report, we focus on examples of the internet “haves” – metro Atlanta students who have access not only to internet in their schools, but also technology resources that make learning engaging and efficient.
How Internet Access and Investments in Digital Tools Enhance Learning in Metro Atlanta Schools
DeKalb County invested about $27 million in 55,000 laptops for middle and high school students, an investment that was boosted with Sprint Communications’ donation of 25,000 wireless internet hot spots to DeKalb students so they can connect online.
Fulton County Schools invested in 67,000 devices, funded with sales taxes, and provided them for sixth through twelfth graders late last year. The County also provides digital textbooks in math, science, and world languages. Learning materials can be downloaded on the devices so students have access to the learning materials at home, even without an internet connection.
Atlanta Public Schools provides students with digital resources for certain subjects. Gwinnett, Georgia’s largest school system with 180,000 students, provided students with an “e-Class” portal in 2012, where they can access digital textbooks, a resource library, e-books and other materials.
And in Cobb, teachers supplement lessons with information on flat panel smart boards. They track student progress in a “revolutionary digital platform,” Cobb Teaching and Learning System, and provide students access to 45,000 laptops and tablets, and 34,000 desktop computers.
Cobb Students are also able to link their devices with smart boards for a more interactive learning experience. New flat panel touchscreen whiteboards will be installed in all Cobb elementary schools by May 2019.
Experts have branded the gap between the internet haves and have-nots “the digital divide.”
And despite progress in urban areas such as metro Atlanta, the question remains: Can we close the digital gap for students throughout Georgia?
