Episode 36: Getting Free Internet to Families Who Need It Most (ft. Dirk Tillotson)
BY Ed Post Staff
April 6, 2020
In this episode, we speak with activist Dirk Tillotson about how, due to a lack of internet access, low income students are being denied an education during COVID-19. You’ll hear how Comcast’s free internet service is not actually free, why a lack of internet access is an extreme barrier to academic success, and how activists and business leaders are stepping up to solve the problem. [spp-player url=http://traffic.libsyn.com/voices4ed/36_-_Education_Post_-_Free_Internet_Should_Be_Free.mp3] [spp-tweet tweet="“These kids are being denied access to an education. We know this is happening. We know this is going to continue to happen until something is changed.” – Dirk Tillotson"]
Episode Details:
- How Comcast’s “free internet” is not actually free
- How Comcast has responded to Dirk’s petition
- The power of local education activism
- The lack of national leadership towards allowing students to continue to learn during COVID-19
- How business leaders are stepping up for students
- Whether or not Comcast and other ISPs should continue to provide internet after COVID-19
Links Mentioned:
- PETITION: We Demand Free Internet for ALL Low-Income Families During COVID-19
- Millions of Low-Income Students Are Being Denied Access to Internet
- Digital Apartheid in the Age of COVID, Making the Right to Online Access for ALL Students a Reality
- @dirktillotson
- greatschoolvoices.org
- @greatschoolvoices
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