Getting wired is just the beginning. Read the PC vs. NC debate . IBM is selling the NCs to the city, with plans to train residents for one year and help with job placement. Pacific Bell is providing the wiring. It's believed to be the first program that addresses comprehensive low-income computer needs ranging from wiring homes to job placement.
Training is just a tiny step.
You don't get out of poverty until you have a livable-wage job, and the commitment to those jobs is excellent. City Councilwoman Jane Brunner talks about the benefits for both adults and children . Software accessed over the network by the computers will teach skills including basic literacy and English as well as complex computer programs. Oakland has been quite progressive in tackling the technology disparity between its rich and poor residents. Last July, the city voted to require that all new public housing have fiber-optic wiring.