The city of Cleveland is one of 28 communities selected to be part of a national program called Connect Home aimed at closing the digital divide.
The federal initiative announced in July 2015 will help provide internet access to students in low income households. The US Department of Education says about 85 percent of low-income households with children do not have internet access.
Over the next few weeks, hundreds of students who live in Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority units and are currently part of after school programs will receive Androids tablets and hotspots for internet use.
"I hope it helps me improve my grades and everything and I'm all about improving myself," said tenth grader Jamani Vines. "So I'm thankful for this opportunity."
"There's a huge need," said CMHA. planning coordinator Juleian Curtis. "We know that, everybody knows that and we intend to do the best we can to close that digital divide within our communities and this is our first step in doing that."
In 2014, Cleveland ranked 9th among the worst connected cities with more than 50,000 households.
