These Young Entrepreneurs Have A Plan To Bring The Internet To Detroit, The Least Connected City In America

So what if we treated the Internet like a public utility, as essential and ubiquitous as electricity or water, and piloted this in Detroit?  A team of Forbes Under 30 alumni hacked at this problem; their idea: Connectivity For All, a three-step pilot program that would be a public-private partnership to create a quick-to-implement, self-sustaining system to bridge the digital divide. The team quickly realized that parts of their solution had already been figured out by local organizations — the biggest issue was funding. With that in mind, the team dreamed up of tech hubs — physical community centers with free and reliable Internet that would have programs led by neighborhood liaisons to teach Detroit residents digital skills based on their most urgent needs, including financial inclusion, workplace skills development, small business growth, and telehealth. In parallel, as residents come to the tech hubs and master digital literacy, the facility would also distribute mobile devices and hotspots through partnerships with organizations like Human IT and Connected Futures. The third and final step of Connectivity For All, which was the most important for the group, was to find sustainable funding sources and incentivize private companies to invest in providing Internet en masse for Detroit residents. The team identified telehealth as the most lucrative opportunity.