Weekly Wrap-Up, April 10, 2015

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (pictured above) continues to tackle the city’s digital divide. His administration has created two senior-level positions specifically dedicated to telecommunications and announced a call for proposals on how to provide affordable, high-quality Internet to underserved communities. Reporting for the LA Times, Jim Puzzanghera explains how the FCC’s new net neutrality rules could potentially mean fees on broadband for consumers.

A new report by Brian Whitacre and Colin Rhinesmith suggests that computer access in public libraries in rural areas may lead to higher residential Internet adoption rates.

In the Washington Post, Emily Badger examines how the double-standard of making government beneficiaries prove themselves worthy of the benefits they receive forces people to “waive their privacy and personal freedom.”

And finally, EveryoneOn CEO Zach Leverenz describes our partnership with Google Fiber  and the collaborative work we’re doing in Austin, TX with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, Austin Free-Net, and other Austin community anchors. He also presses the importance of cross-sector collaboration if we really want to bridge the digital divide.