The FCC has chosen Best Buy as its partner in a new attempt to bring computer literacy and training to Americas across the country.
Although we talk every day about how connected the world is and how people can’t live without the latest and greatest technology, the truth is there are still a lot of Americans who don’t even know the basics of operating a computer.
To improve that statistic, the FCC has asked Best Buy and its army of Geek Squad “agents” to work around the US to offer free computer training lessons to anyone who needs them.
“Imagine what having millions of more Americans digitally empowered can mean for the economy: millions more customers for online businesses, more Americans using cost saving e-government services and more Americans with the digital skills needed to find and land the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said FCC chairman Julius Genachowski,
The program will begin in 20 cities between now and the end of 2012, with agents going to schools and libraries to offer the free courses. The FCC and Best Buy plan to expand to program to a total of 15 states within the next three years.
Genachowski noted that only 67% of Americans have a broadband Internet subscription while 90% of residents in South Korea and Singapore have high-speed access.
“The digital divide is more troubling than ever because the costs of digital exclusion are rising,” he said.
