This week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced the kickoff for the “California Digital Divide Innovation Challenge,” a global competition that will award up to $1 million to the boldest, most revolutionary proposals to eliminate the digital divide and expand high-speed internet access to all Californians.
Despite many efforts and generous donations through the Bridging the Digital Divide Fund, as many as one million students in California still lack internet connectivity. Superintendent Thurmond is launching this challenge to inspire the public and private sector’s most ambitious innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and creative problem-solvers to develop technology and strategic partnerships that will have an immediate and direct impact on students today and remove barriers to success long after the pandemic is over.