Obama to announce high-speed Internet help for homes

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama set a goal of bringing high-speed Internet to most schools by 2017.

And on Wednesday, he’s going to Oklahoma to announce a new program – called ConnectHome – to help close the digital divide by bringing faster Internet to more people.

Under the pilot program, the White House says communities, the private sector and the federal government will collaborate to make high-speed Internet available to more families.

The program is getting underway in 27 cities and one tribal nation – the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The White House says the initiative will help more than 275,000 low-income households, including nearly 200,000 children, get on the Internet at home.