Spurred by the lack of service from telecom giants, rural schools in California’s Central Valley, created their own wireless network and broadband service and are now providing free or low-cost Internet to all students and their families, and transforming small agricultural cities into WiFi hubs. In addition, schools in the area are also arming students with free laptops and the technological know-how to compete with students in wealthier districts, and meet the new Common Core standards. How did the schools manage to become community Internet service providers? Will other areas with restricted or expensive Internet follow suit?
Guests: Juan Ruiz, Principal, Avenal High School, Avenal, CA, http://www.rsusd.net/Domain/84; Pedro “Pete” Bonilla, Project Coordinator, Kings County Office of Education, Hanford, CA, http://www.kings.k12.ca.us/; Roberto Gallardo, Professor at Mississippi State University Extension Service and Director of The Extension Broadband Education and Adoption Team, Mississippi State, MS, http://msucares.com/ebeat/about.html.
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