Managing Director Cassie Bair testifies before Minnesota Senate Finance Committee E-12 Budget Division
Longmont, Colo. – Feb 6, 2015 – Mobile Citizen’s managing director Cassie Bair recently testified before a meeting of the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee E-12 Budget Division about bridging the digital divide in education.
The Jan. 20 committee meeting focused on “The State of School Technology” and featured testimony from the Minnesota High Tech Association, the Minnesota School Boards Association and the Minnesota Governor’s Task Force on Broadband, as well as numerous representatives from area school districts.
Mobile Citizen, an initiative of Voqal, provides low-cost mobile Internet exclusively to schools, nonprofits and social welfare agencies located around the country, including in Minnesota.
In her testimony Ms. Bair shared both statistics and anecdotal stories from local school districts, such as the Edina School District, illustrating why the digital divide is a problem in Minnesota. While the Internet has opened up new and effective paths to economic opportunities, educational channels, networks and information resources for millions of people it is not yet accessible to all.
“At Mobile Citizen we strive to connect low-income students and individuals to the Internet both inside and outside the classroom,” Bair said, “Unfortunately in Minnesota, and throughout the country, it is usually those who have the greatest need for the opportunities the Internet can offer who have the most difficulty accessing it.”
In Minnesota specifically, Mobile Citizen brings low cost broadband wireless Internet services to a dozen schools and districts for students and employees, and, with our nonprofit partners, to nearly 10,000 low-income families allowing them to access school services, job sites and information resources online from school, home and work.
About Mobile Citizen
Mobile Citizen was the first fourth generation (4G) service provider in the U.S. to offer mobile broadband service exclusively to nonprofits, social welfare agencies and schools at remarkably low cost. Mobile Citizen’s wireless Internet service is powered by 4G technology, which makes it lightning fast and easy to use. Mobile Citizen is an initiative of Voqal. For more information, visit mobilecitizen.org.
About Voqal
Voqal is a collaboration of five nonprofit organizations that work to advance social equity by supporting nonprofit organizations and individuals that use technology and media to build an educated, empowered and engaged public. Voqal provides grants, fellowships, affordable mobile Internet, educational content and wireless spectrum advocacy. For more information, visit voqal.org.