America is known as the land of equal opportunity but with regards to technology, there is still a great divide that exists between those who have Internet access and those who do not. In fact, there are currently 100 million Americans without home Internet access. And, unfortunately, among those most affected by this divide are children. Solix, an expert provider of business process outsourcing solutions, has been working hard to close this gap.
In February of 2012, Solix was selected to collaborate with national Connect2Compete (C2C), a nonprofit organization hoping to bring connectivity to America through free or low-cost Internet and computer offerings. C2C teamed with Solix to outsource its program management needs for its pilot program in San Diego. In just three short months, Solix helped C2C provide the families of low-income schoolchildren with access to low cost computers and broadband service by creating a program where parents could apply for subsidized communications service and hardware.
Recently, Solix was bestowed the Project of the Year Award by the New Jersey (PMINJ) chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI), an award that recognizes the company’s program management skills, collaborative efforts and leadership. PMINJ grants this award annually to project managers in New Jersey who exemplify top level execution and program management skills.
According to Solix’s President & Chief Operating Officer Jack Miller, the importance of the C2C program was heightened by the fact that it was an initiative of the FCC , with the FCC Chairman as its key sponsor. The FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, declared in 2012 that as a country we need to do a better job connecting the underserved areas of the population to the Internet. Two major factors for this declaration were the Internet’s ability to promote jobs and for the ability to assist children in educational endeavors. In Miller’s words, it was a highly visible, high profile program.
“We pride ourselves on implementing programs on time, on budget, and in a way that meets or exceeds our customers’ expectations. This was no different! said Miller, but this was one that we really couldn’t afford to fail on.”
So, how did the citizens of low income populations respond to the FCC’s call to action to provide them with Internet access? Stay tuned to see their reaction in part two of our three part series.
