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Digital Inclusion Week sponsored by Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas

“What’s really cool about classes you’re doing with Code Equity is that Microsoft Word and Excel, those are all softwares that were developed by coding,” Pape told the group of students eager to accept the laptops. “It’s an amazing skill to take with you through middle school, high school and to college.”

SA Digital Connects partnered with Code Equity to distribute the laptops on Monday.

For a few years we have been one to the nations largest urban areas and communities that has had a digital divide, and our work in collaboration with AT&T, the city and the county for the past few years has been to really close that divide. This is just one of many opportunities to do that.

Public-private endeavors involving the city and Bexar County aim to help roughly 35,000 homes get connected. Two pacts with Internet providers would extend infrastructure before Affordable Connectivity Program funding ends.

According to Pape, infrastructure is only one part of getting people online. She thinks about three A’s: access, adoption and affordability.
Infrastructure provides access, but people often need a device to connect, and they need to be able to pay for the service.
Adoption, she said, involves helping community members obtain “access to the devices that are relevant to their needs” and ensuring that they have “the digital skills … to use those devices.”