The city of Norwalk, Connecticut, will partner with the Dalio Education Foundation and some other private foundations to provide broadband internet access to all its school-aged children.
A recent survey found that as many as a thousand public school families in Norwalk do not have access to high quality reliable internet necessary for distance learning.
Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said all those families will now have high-speed internet at no cost. And the city would provide people to help them navigate it.
“So these navigators are going to be trained to go into homes and help the families not only with the internet but what they can do to get the resources and the assistance that they may need elsewhere,” Rilling said.
The connectivity initiative is funded by a $315,000 grant from Dalio Education, and a $50,000 grant from the Be Foundation. Norwalk is to contribute $150,000. The service would be provided by Altice/Optimum.
The Per and Astrid Heidenreich Family Foundation and the Ritter Family Foundation are providing a $125,000 grant each to pay for the family navigators.
