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Google to help more Atlantans get online

A continuing concern is that Americans who go without broadband links have a harder time competing for jobs, getting government benefits, linking with health information and receiving a robust education.

Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Credit: GETTY IMAGES

A continuing concern is that Americans who go without broadband links have a harder time competing for jobs, getting government benefits, linking with health information and receiving a robust education.
By Matt Kempner
May 21, 2015

Google, which like rivals AT&T and Comcast has promised to bring super-fast Internet connections to metro Atlanta, said it will pay for three organizers to help more Atlantans get online.

The positions, which will be funded for a year, are among 16 Google said it will set up in eight cities where it has or plans to offer gigabit-per-second speeds, which is roughly 100 times faster than what’s in the average U.S. home.

More than 32 percent of Atlanta city residents don’t have wired broadband connections in their homes, a Google official said, citing U.S. Census Bureau data.

A continuing concern is that Americans who go without broadband links have a harder time competing for jobs, getting government benefits, linking with health information and receiving a robust education.

The positions Google is creating in Atlanta will be linked with three organizations: Literacy Action (to launch bilingual computer classes), TechBridge (to help nonprofits set up digital literacy programs) and the Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation (to start computer training programs).

About the Author

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

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