Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 127 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Telemedicine and Montana's digital divide

Amanda Eggert

September 03, 2020 |

Montana Free Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Orlando, Florida

What started as a small group of young adults wanting to help their aging parents navigate telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic, is now a multi-state program that provides devices to seniors and low-income people as a way to close the digital divide. The group has grown to over 300 volunteers and partners with local health care providers, who in turn help their patients set up their new devices provided by the organization.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Communities Are Trying To Help Working Parents Who Face A Child Care Gap

Anya Kamenetz

August 31, 2020 |

NPR |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

School districts and cities are creating learning hubs, or learning centers, to provide students with remote learning and access to Wi-Fi. The hubs are free, low-cost, or subsided. The hubs are a necessary alternative for working parents who don’t have access to childcare or the internet at home.

Read More
Go to Original Story
‘Digital Detroit' Works to Bridge Digital Divide for Small and Micro Businesses

Kristi Eaton

August 25, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

The city of Detroit is offering business services to entrepreneurs who want to bring their business online in the aftermath of the pandemic. Digital Detroit is the name of the program offering content creation and website development completely free of charge for a variety of businesses. Over 100 businesses were selected for the five-week program, helping the entrepreneurs to move their services online, creating, and launching websites as well as establishing social media presence, all of which has gone a long way in increasing sales and profits.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Using tech and circuit riding to beat the pandemic

Shaun Griswold

August 24, 2020 |

New Mexico In Depth |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cuba, New Mexico

The Cuba Independent School District in northern New Mexico has deployed a fleet of school buses to deliver food and school kits to students from its districts. Bus drivers reach rural areas of Sandoval County and help over 500 students complete their lessons. The district also distributed USB bracelets so students can download their lessons when they reach a wi-fi hotspot and later access school content without the need for an internet connection.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The co-ops that electrified Depression-era farms are now building rural internet

Nicolás Rivero

August 05, 2020 |

Quartz |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

Co-ops that have historically brought electricity and telephone services to rural America are now providing internet service. Broadband companies don't make a profit when covering a large area with limited households per mile so co-ops have filled the need under the "Smart Grid" program funded by the USDA. Thousands of households have been connected to fiber-optic internet as a result.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Reedsburg Got Broadband

Kate Archer Kent

August 05, 2020 |

Wisconsin Public Radio |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Reedsburg, Wisconsin

Along with electricity, water, and phone, the Reedsburg Utility Commission provides internet access in rural Wisconsin. The fiber network was built almost two decades ago and provides affordable internet access at high speeds. The project started for internal needs and grew to accommodate the school and then eventually the whole region. Current municipal legislation inhibits the type of private-public partnerships that allowed Reedsburg Utility to once build what is now considered an essential service.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Libraries Stretch Their Capabilities to Serve Kids During a Pandemic

Holly Korbey

July 31, 2020 |

KQED |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Summer, which is usually the busiest season for libraries around the United States, brought with it challenges due to the pandemic, but resourceful librarians innovated ways to connect with their most valuable patrons. In Chattanooga, Tennessee librarians recorded what would have been an in-person craft lesson and posted it on their YouTube channel. In St. Louis, Missouri, the public library loaned out Chromebooks and hot spots to families to increase accessibility to virtual programming. While the pandemic poses limitations, librarians are seizing the opportunity to try new things and keep students engaged.

Read More
Go to Original Story
As Prisons Cancel Visitation, The Phone Line Becomes A Life Line

Amanda Peacher

July 27, 2020 |

Boise State Public Radio (KBSX) |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Utah

To alleviate the isolating effects of COVID-19 restrictions in prisons barring outside visitors, some prisons have encouraged phone and video contact with family by waiving the fees normally charged for such services. In Utah, the first 10 calls per week are free. Federal prisons have waived the charges entirely. Maintaining healthy family relationships has been shown to relieve prisoners' loneliness and anxiety, which equates to better behavior. And it reduces future lawbreaking by strengthening bonds that help in finding housing and jobs once the prisoners are released.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The coronavirus effect on Pakistan's digital divide

Mehreen Zahra-Malik

July 13, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Pakistan

The Pakistani government uses technology, like a state-owned TV channel that broadcasts content for grades 1-12 and apps sourced for free by ed-tech companies, to help the over 50 million school children without broadband internet or digital device access. The TV channel has over 54 million subscribers and there is a text-messaging service that allows its 250,000 subscribers to talk to professional teachers. Despite the digital divide, the use of educational apps has also skyrocketed since the Covid-19 pandemic. However, technology is not a silver bullet to solve the country’s deep education inequalities.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Migrant Worker Camps, Wifi Is a Basic Utility

Judy Bankman

July 08, 2020 |

The Daily Yonder |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Wasco County, Oregon

To expand wifi access during the coronavirus pandemic for those who work in the agricultural community and in migrant farmworker camps, the City of The Dalles partnered and collaborated with Google and other community businesses to purchase hot spots and Chromebooks for farmworkers to use. The hot spots don't work in all areas of the county, but in the orchards with cell service where they have been installed, they have been helping to provide access to telemedicine and educational services.

Read More
Go to Original Story