Opportunity Online Site Launches

Red Pixel Studios and Connected Nation launch Opportunity Online website.

The Internet is a gateway to economic, educational, and social opportunity, yet millions of low-income Americans don't have reliable or affordable Internet access. Public libraries continue to be at the forefront of bridging this digital divide. As a result of nearly a decade of work by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and many partners, nearly every library in the United States helps people succeed by offering free computer and Internet access, as well as training on how to use these tools.

Unfortunately, despite ever-growing demand for computers and the Internet in public libraries, up to one-third of all libraries do not offer fast-enough Internet connections. In today's digital world, speed is important. That's why the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is piloting a grant program in seven states to help improve and sustain high-speed Internet access in local libraries. Your state has the opportunity to use these grants to implement broadband improvement and sustainability plans they develop.

The Opportunity Online Summit is an opportunity to convene the leaders of library systems participating in the grant program as well as gather and activate local and state influencers with the power to support broadband in libraries, and inform strategies to improve and sustain connectivity. The immediate objectives of these summits are to ensure high library participation in the Opportunity Online broadband grant program and to provide inspiration and education that informs the sustainability strategies created by each state library agency. The larger vision is to catalyze a lasting improvement in library Internet connectivity in each participating state.

http://www.opportunityonline.org/