said by computerpimp:said by Oh_No:Especially when the not having service for 90 days rules out anyone who recently lost their job and had to put their kids on welfare lunch and had to just cancel cable and internet...
That is what I have been thinking all along. Where is someone going to come up with $10 a month plus fees, and $150 (another $12.50/mo). That's money that if stretched wisely could go towards something important like feeding your child for a while. When money starts getting scarce needs come first before Internet.
A local K-12 district had computer labs at the schools and would take time and rotate kids through for "digital literacy". It seems like a much better investment of $150 to have the computers at the educational institution whether it is a lab, classroom, library, or mobile cart instead of one person gets the laptop and uses it. And if there is a power outage, there are books that can be taught from.
When the schools replaced older computers they often would refurb the surplus, old ones and give them to families the school knew couldn't afford one. If the people wanted Internet there was always Netzero if available.
Netzero is more expensive since you need a phone line and many people do not get landlines anymore.
I disagree with your statements. Everyone needs internet at home especially for kids in school. If you are looking for a job you need a computer and internet. No one takes paper resumes and applications anymore, it is all online.
Teachers use email to communicate with parents way more frequently than in the past. Parents use the internet to read assignments to make sure their kid is not lying when they say they have no homework and to check grades live.
If you are poor you probably do not have time to or money to cart your kids around everywhere. The internet is cheaper.
There are teachers that require internet for their class just like they require certain textbooks.
In our society we have a standard of living that separates us from 3rd world countries.
This is:
Electricity
Clean water from a tap (except down south, lol)
Housing with minimum code requirements
Public Schools (everyone goes to school)
Mail
Internet/Phone/Communications
Police/Fire
Roads/Interstates/Stoplights/stop signs
Garbage collection
Free OTA TV (with news)
Free Radio
Parks
GPS
Access to safe to eat food
etc...
If you start taking these minimums away our standard of living in the US will go down.
There are way more wasteful things to take away from welfare recipients than internet.
Things like:
Buying junk food/candy with welfare cards
Shopping at expensive stores like Walgreens for food with welfare cards
Refusing to look for jobs outside the local area that would require them to move. (people must move to where the jobs are)
Not declaring father at birth so the mother can get welfare why living unmarried with the biological father.
Buying cable or satellite TV (it is a joke when you see a sat dish on section 8 housing)
More than 1 cell phone
Buying cigarette
Doing drugs (all welfare recipients should be drug tested)