I was invited last night to a gala fundraiser thrown by One Economy, a six year old organization dedicated to closing the digital divide in the US and globally. Their portal, beehive.org, is a wonderfully effective resource for poor people who are new to the Internet. The Beehive has helped millions of people obtain the information and help they deserve.
All told, these guys are social entrepreneurs in the truest sense and the stories we heard over the course of the night were nothing short of inspiring. We heard the tale of one group in Greene County, North Carolina who, realizing their economy was dangerously dependent upon tobacco farming, collaborated with One Economy to launch program entitled "Beyond Tobacco" to infuse wireless broadband access, computers, and technology training into the community. They had a number of metrics by which to measure the success of this public/private partnership, but one in particular stood out for me.
Three years ago, in Greene County, 10% of their students applied to college. This past year, over 80% did.
As we work to get a free broadband wireless network built in San Francisco (remember, I don't speak for Google here), it is helpful and energizing to be reminded so vividly of why access for all is so important.