Some succeeded, but many faced challenges. Here’s what they encountered and your most common questions answered.
Sunne Wright McPeak, president and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund, a nonprofit focused on equitable and affordable internet access, said that, based on interviews, focus groups and the experiences of local partner organizations, barriers to sign-up come down to a 60-40 problem.
About 60% of people simply don’t know about the program. Of the remaining 40%, half will be turned off by bureaucratic inefficiencies and runarounds by internet companies. The other half need to be walked through the process, be it because of language barriers, disabilities or lack of internet access or digital literacy.