On Thursday, October 29, the Macon-Bibb County Housing Authority, Cox Communications, EveryoneOn, and Macon-Bibb County will host a citywide Internet enrollment event as part of President Barack Obama’s ConnectHome initiative. Click or Treat is a Halloween-themed digital inclusion event and will be held at the Family Investment Center (905 Main Street, 752-5185), the Buck Melton Community Center (150 Sessions Drive, 734-7852), and the Street to Success Community Center (4116 Houston Avenue, 284-8464) from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. There will be refreshments, candy, and Halloween fun throughout the evening, and costumes are encouraged.
Throughout the evening, qualified families can enroll in Cox’s Connect2Compete $9.95 high-speed home Internet and purchase a $30 tablet with keyboard that includes a wireless router. This low-cost offer is being promoted as part of the ConnectHome initiative to connect more families living in public housing authorities to affordable Internet options and fill in the “homework gap” so local students have digital access at home.
“October is Digital Inclusion Month in Macon-Bibb County because of how important it is that people have regular and easy access to high-speed internet,” says Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert. “Working with the Macon-Bibb County Housing Authority, Cox Communications, and EveryoneOn, we want to provide more people that access, as well as the education on how they can better access services and resources.”
To learn more about the event, contact the EveryoneOn
information line at 478.227.9990.
About ConnectHome
HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr., Macon-Bibb County Housing Authority CEO June Parker, and Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert joined community and civic leaders in July to announce Macon-Bibb’s selection to President Obama’s ConnectHome initiative, which is an effort to provide families living in HUD-assisted housing access to high speed broadband. Through ConnectHome, Internet Service Providers, non-profits and the private sector will offer broadband access, technical training, digital literacy programs, and devices for residents in assisted housing units in 28 communities across the nation.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) selected Macon and 27 other communities through a competitive process that took into account local commitment to expanding broadband opportunities; presence of place-based programs; and other factors to ensure all are well-positioned to deliver on ConnectHome.
“By connecting local HUD assisted housing families and students to high-speed internet, we help expand their ability to access educational tools, health care services, employment opportunities, and resources to apply for college and financial-aid, said Jennings. “This is all about providing opportunity and hope for the future of America.”
“We are moving more and more towards a time when having high-speed access to the internet will be vital to the success and sustainability of our communities,” says Mayor Reichert. “Already more and more college and job applications are being done online, and we must provide our children the tools to access them. I commend the school district for making it available in the classrooms, and now we must work with our partners to make it available at home.”