More than a thousand people in Dayton will have new access to high-speed internet by the end of the year. It’s thanks to a coalition called The Dayton-Montgomery County Digital Equity Initiative.
In addition to high-speed internet, nearly 900 Chromebook laptops will be given out to residents living in five Dayton public housing communities, including Desoto Bass, Park Manor, Wilkinson Plaza, Westdale Terrace, and Fitch and Hawthorn.
CareSource, the Dayton-based health plan provider, is just one of several organizations partnering for the initiative.
Amy Riegel is CareSource’s Director of Housing. She says the services will be available at no cost.
"They can do homework, look for employment or maybe even work from home, and then also be able to do things like order groceries online or be able to go to a doctor's appointment - Those really essential services that we've all started doing more frequently online during the pandemic," she says.
Because it’s considered an integral part of these five housing communities, the Boys & Girls Club of Dayton (BGCD) will also benefit from fiber upgrades and firewall protected Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art security cameras.
CareSource is providing $400,000 as the project gets started, and Montgomery County has also provided a $2 million CARES Act grant. More than a dozen public and private groups are joining to keep it running long-term.
The Digital Equity partners include:
Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, City of Dayton, Dayton Public Schools, Dayton Development Coalition, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, Dayton Power & Light Company, CityWide, Techknowvate, Montgomery County Educational Service Center, Dayton Children’s Hospital, Five Rivers Health Centers, Technology First, Montgomery County, Greater Dayton Premier Management, CareSource, and Cincinnati Bell Inc.
Professional Cabling Solutions (PCS), and Tyco Cloud Services are contributing a firewall, access points, monthly service, and access control.
