Microsoft has announced plans to team up with hardware partners to deliver PCs to low-income families. The program is called Connect to Compete. To qualify, families must have at least one enrolled in the free school lunch program which means about 15 million families will qualify.
Those families will get two years of discounted ($10/month) broadband Internet access from participating cable providers, including Comcast, Cablevision, Charter, Cox, Time-Warner, and others. The PCs will start at $250, and will include Windows and Office, as well as educational software.
FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said, “It’s a win-win for our overall economy and for all companies in the broadband economy. If we can get broadband adoption to 100% we will have doubled the size of the online market in the U.S.”
Microsoft has not yet announced specifics like hardware details or partners.
