Internet Provider Starry Inc. Donates 21 Chromebooks To Los Angeles Housing Authority

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Starry Inc., a wireless broadband internet provider, announced Thursday it has donated 21 Chromebooks to the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles.

The computers are being provided in advance of the start of the school year to families with school-aged children in the Mar Vista Gardens community without access to devices needed for online learning.

"The COVID-19 health crisis continues to exacerbate the impact of the digital divide on our most vulnerable communities," said Virginia Lam Abrams, Starry's senior vice president of government affairs and strategic advancement.

"Virtually every school district across the country will start this school year by integrating online learning into their curriculums. For families without broadband access or computers in the home, this shift will have a devastating impact on learning outcomes and progress for those students."

This month, most California school districts are starting school with online learning.

The California Governor's office estimated that one in five students in the state lack high-speed Internet or an appropriate computing device at home, Starry Inc. said.

According to Starry Inc., a parent survey conducted by the governor's office in April found that 50% of low-income families and 42% of families of color said that they lacked a laptop, Chromebook or tablet necessary to access their students in distance learning.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)