Today, the U.S. House voted to pass the “Computers for Veterans and Students (COVS) Act,” a bill introduced by Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) to direct hundreds of thousands of out-of-service computers from the federal government to nonprofit refurbishers for repair and distribution to veterans, students, and low-income consumers. Participating refurbishers would also provide digital literacy training. Public Knowledge urges the Senate to pass this bipartisan bill to help close the nation’s device divide.
The following can be attributed to Jenna Leventoff, Senior Policy Counsel at Public Knowledge:
“One of the main reasons why people cannot connect to the internet is because they can’t afford a device. More than 10 percent of households across the country lack a computer, and countless more share computers amongst multiple family members. The COVS Act is a common-sense piece of legislation that will get computers into the hands of customers in need. We thank Representative Spanberger for her leadership and urge the Senate to take up this important legislation.
“However, the COVS Act alone cannot close the device divide and we urge policymakers to do more. The COVS Act, in collaboration with a device voucher program, can better prevent the device divide from serving as an impediment to connecting.”
You may view our latest blog post, “The Device Divide is Hurting Americans. Here’s How We Solve It,” for more information on the device divide.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.