Committee Advances Free Laptops For Alton Households In Need

City of Alton - Committee of the Whole Meeting

ALTON - The City of Alton is moving forward with a plan to give 350 laptops to “low-income, unconnected” households in Alton with the help of Alton Forward, the nonprofit arm of AltonWorks.

Alton Forward President Mark Carlie said at Monday's Commitee of the Whole meeting that these laptops are essential for maximizing the impact of AltonWorks’ $20 million fiber optic network project, which he estimates will bring high-speed internet to 95% of Alton residents.

“Just because we have internet everywhere doesn’t mean we have it able to be used,” Carlie said. “We need two more things for each user - they need the internet, they need a device, and they need to safely know how to use it to its maximum advantage - and that’s where Alton Forward comes in.”

Carlie said Alton Forward formed a “Digital Equity and Inclusion Task Force” to find ways to make the upgraded network accessible to more Alton residents. They recommended purchasing the 350 laptops with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to distribute to households in need.

“We picked the number 350 because it resembled the same number of hotspots that the Alton School District was making available to families to access them,” he said. “We have more work to do to determine the proper number of laptops that are needed, but we know we need at least 350.”

The Alton School District already provides students with Chromebooks, which are assigned in sixth grade and stay with students during the entirety of their enrollment or until the devices are replaced. The school district has other policies in place for student-owned devices.

“[This resolution] gives us the chance to create a fair and equitable process for distributing 350 laptops to those in need so they can participate in the digital economy,” Carlie said.

If given final City Council approval, Alton Forward would receive $68,250 in ARPA funds to purchase 350 laptops, which they would distribute to “low-income, unconnected” households.

Under the amended resolution, eligible candidates must:

1. Reside at an address within the City of Alton
2. Affirm financial need based upon federal income guidelines or be a foster child under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court;
3. Agree not to sell or give away the computer within three years of the computer acquisition

In addition:

1. Alton Forward will provide access to training to the approved applicant(s) to enable the student and family to utilize it for the intended purpose of gaining equitable access to digital resources.
2. Laptops will be distributed on a first come first served basis.
3. The student's guardian will sign a receipt evidencing transfer of the laptop to the approved applicant.

When the resolution came up for a vote, Alderman David Gan said that while he supports Alton Forward’s intention, he has concerns with their execution.

Gan saw no realistic way to enforce certain amendments, such as the agreement not to sell the computers within three years, and foresaw problems with distributing 350 laptops on a first-come, first-serve basis. He said local libraries may have a better idea of who is actually in need of computer access, and could serve as a “better vehicle” to distribute the devices to eligible candidates.

Gan moved to lay the item over to allow more time to work out the logistical details. His motion failed due to lack of a second.

Alderman Raymond Strebel said he was unsure how else to enforce the non-resale agreements, other than “extreme goodwill,” adding the agreements would be signed by each applicant. He also said the DEI Task Force will look into ways to expedite the application process once the resolution passes.

Committee members voted unanimously to move the resolution forward. The item now goes to the Alton City Council for final consideration and potential approval on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Follow the discussion and vote live on the Riverbender.com Facebook page or Riverbender.com/video/live.

A full recording of the Oct. 7, 2024 Alton Committee of the Whole meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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