Google Gives 4,000 Chromebooks, 1 Lakh Mobile Hotspots To Help Kids Study In Lockdown
Not every family or kid has access to a computer or can afford to have data connectivity, especially with many at home trying to survive on tight budgets amidst unemployment. To bridge this gap and to help underprivileged kids study seamlessly from the comforts of their homes, Google has pledged to donate 4,000 Chromebooks as well as 100,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to homes in the state of California.
With the world locked down due to COVID-19, everyone¡¯s lives have somehow come to a sudden halt -- people have started to work from home, even kids are studying from home using e-learning platforms.
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However, not every family or kid has access to a computer or can afford to have data connectivity, especially with many at home trying to survive on tight budgets amidst unemployment.
To bridge this gap and to help underprivileged kids study seamlessly from the comforts of their homes, Google has pledged to donate 4,000 Chromebooks as well as 100,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to homes in the state of California.
Alphabet CEO, Sundar Pichai revealed this in a tweet on Wednesday, stating ¡°Proud to work with @GavinNewsom & partners to help bridge the digital divide in our home state. We¡¯re providing 4,000 Chromebooks to California students in greatest need & free wifi to 100,000 rural households during the #COVID19 crisis to make distance learning more accessible.¡±
Chromebooks are already popular among students and teachers as unlike a PC, it isn¡¯t as distracting, helping the kids stay productive.
Governor Newsom estimated that California needs more 162,013 hotspots over the 100,000 pledged by Google. Google has promised to meet the desired needs. The kids will have access to high-speed internet for a minimum of three months.
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Looking at the response Newsom called other tech conglomerates in the Silicon Valley stating ¡°We need more Googles¡±, in a conversation with SFGate.
Last week. Alphabet revealed its pledge of $800 million worth of support for health organisations, small businesses as well as researchers who¡¯re trying to crack the COVID-19 code. The 800 million is in the form of cash, ad credits as well as access to cloud services from Google.
Pichai said in a statement, ¡°Together, we'll continue to help our communities -- including our businesses, educators, researchers, and nonprofits -- to navigate the challenges ahead.¡±
