ACORN Canada members have held back-toschool actions to highlight that the federal government and the Canadian Radio-Television and Communications (CRTC) agency need to ensure home broadband prices are affordable for low income families. Low income students shouldn't have to do homework at libraries if they can't afford home high speed Internet, maintains the anti-poverty group in a news release last week. 

"My 7-year-old son can't do his math homework because we can't afford home Internet

and going to the library with him and my 2-year-old just doesn't work," says ACORN member Ashley Morris.

In 2012, the CRTC's subsidy regime allocated $132 million towards ensuring Canadians connect to a "world-class communications system," yet none of this money helped low income urban families' access home broadband, says ACORN.

The federal government's plan to invest millions to expand Internet access "fails" many low income urban families who can't afford to get online, says the group.

"Nearly half of Canada's lowest income earners don't have broadband access, compared with 18 per cent for Canadians as a whole.

a'here's no reason to leave low-income families on the wrong side of the digital divide."

ACORN Canada members are calling on the CRTC and the federal government to ensure households below the low-income measure have access high-speed Internet for $10/month along with measures to ensure families can afford computers at a reasonable price.

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Source: Ottawa Community News