Remember those girls who had to sit outside of a Taco Bell in order to do their schoolwork...

[demmiblue]

UPDATE: The girls in the photo and their family are being helped by a GoFundMe that's raised over $143,000. The woman running the fundraiser, Jackie Lopez, says the girls' mother, Juana, will begin a college fund for her daughters and her 1-year-old.

Link to tweet

[niyad]

1. WTFH???????? These girls were almost taken from their mother for using wi-fi????????

[CatWoman]

5. where do you see that?

[whopis01]

9. It is right there at the top of the tweet.

It says:

2 children almost taken from mother after Taco Bell employees find them using Wi-Fi for school: http://bit.ly/3jwDZGd

[stopdiggin]

18. DOES say that. Turns out that was a bit of an exaggeration.

--- -- ---

[whopis01]

28. Yeah - definitely a bit of an exaggeration.

[wcollar]

12. The criminalization of poverty!

"In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread."

Anatole France

[panader0]

15. Great quote.

[Tanuki]

25. Thank you! I had not read that quotation before!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. okay now do the other millions of kids who don't have regular, reliable access to high-speed wifi

[Initech]

3. Yeah residential wifi is not the same as commercial / industrial wifi.

Last edited Thu Sep 3, 2020, 01:13 PM - Edit history (1)

And until this gets improved, the "stay at home" model is not going to be sustainable in the long-term future.

That should be a first priority with the Biden administration is to include internet and wifi in infrastructure rebuilding.

[nolabear]

20. I agree but can we be glad for them?

Of COURSE there is a screaming need. And I hope this gets some attention. I'm troubled by the odd GoFundMe way of "solving" problems.

But these kids, I hope, are excited and uplifted to have this sense of being valuable, not diminished for their poverty. And their mother, who went above and beyond for her girls, deserves some joy before we just say "yeah but..." And we could use some joy too.It feeds our energy for the work we need to do.

[demmiblue]

23. Images are powerful... the issue is now being discussed on Brianna Keilar's show. n/t

Last edited Thu Sep 3, 2020, 03:10 PM - Edit history (1)

Link to tweet

[hunter]

4. Technology has reached a point where basic universal internet services could be free...

... just as sidewalks, roads, and highways are free.

Some cities in the U.S.A. have already accomplished this, usually as part of the agreements they make with cable and cell phone providers.

Computers and internet connections have become essential in the modern world.

My mom's grandparents lived in remote places without electricity or telephones. Subsidized rural electrification and telephone services improved their lives immensely. Being able to turn on a light with the flip of a switch, the ability to call neighbors or a doctor in times of trouble, these were important things.

Here in the 21st century computers and internet service are just as uplifting and progressive as electric and telephone service was a century ago, and are well worthy of subsidy.

A 10% tax on an internet connection capable of streaming high quality video could pay for 20 lower bandwidth connections capable of streaming VHS (video cassette) quality video. This kind of progressive taxation benefits everyone.

[Initech]

7. I believe that this was the goal with 5G.

That is to create a broadband internet that could be accessed by anyone from anywhere.

Of course the fucking idiots who believe in conspiracy theories bought into the idea that COVID-19 and 5G were rolled out at the same time in some convoluted plan to keep us in our houses forever started destroying 5G towers. And that's why we don't get nice things.

[LiberalArkie]

13. AT&T has it out where I live. 10meg min and 250GB monthly cap for $50 a month.

[Initech]

14. I'm planning on getting a 5G phone sometime this year.

I'm leaning towards the Galaxy S20 Ultra but the Note 20 looks pretty tempting as well.

[LiberalArkie]

19. I rely on my Windstream DSL it is 200 meg down and no cap and is $39 a month.

[hunter]

24. Our house DSL is similar.

No limits, but it used to bottom out badly when we had a house full of teenagers and their friends.

I set up the router to favor my wife and me. The kids got whatever bandwidth was left.

Our youngest child got a job and bought his own bandwidth. Parenting success!

[hunter]

22. My children work mostly from their homes, on the internet.

They live in big cities and enjoy very high bandwidth fiber optic internet connections direct to their home offices. Quite a lot of their work involves video. Whenever they visit us I can feel their frustration with 4G internet speeds or our household DSL connection.

My parents and my wife's parents live in rural areas and their internet options are extremely limited.

My parents have a techno-geek neighbor who keeps everyone online. I love him. My parents never call me about computer problems.

My wife's parents are line-of-sight to an AT&T tower on a mountaintop and are fortunate they can connect to that. Most of their neighbors can't. A few of their more affluent neighbors have satellite internet, but most have nothing more than landline phone connections that go out every time some tree falls down on the sixty year old cables strung on wooden poles.

We live in a place with multiple internet options. Comcast offers higher speeds than our DSL but I do my best to avoid any business with Comcast. Our $8.99 a month Netflix works fine on our DSL connection and most of the internet work my wife and I do is text based, so we are happy with what we've got. Our original broadband internet connection was over an alarm line twisted pair, before our local phone company offered any residential internet service. It's evolved since.

Th 5G controversies are insane, but what should we expect of a superstitious developing nation that allows Trump to be president?

There are too many white people in the U.S.A. who oppose anything that would improve the lives of their black or brown neighbors, even when those things would improve their own miserable lives as well.

[mjvpi]

11. Bingo

At the very least the internet should be classified as a utility. Companies should not be able to throttle or control content. The functional goal of the highest quality to every person should be the mandate.

[hunter]

26. I'm a socialist. Some amount of bandwidth should be free for all and subsidized.

That might not mean free unlimited 4K video streams for everyone anytime soon.

It might mean more than enough 480p video for children to get their schoolwork done with equal bit volumes of pure entertainment.

I'm a cheap ass with my personal telecommunications. My total monthly expenses for cell phone, our house DSL internet, and Netflix are less than I can earn in an hour.

My wife's super-power cell phone, which she uses 70% work and 30% pleasure, which we do not deduct as a business expense, can do more, unlimited 4G. It's our wifi hot spot when we travel.

There's no fucking excuse at all that anyone in this wealthy nation can't enjoy broadband internet.

[mjvpi]

27. I totally agree. Essential utilities should have guaranteed access.

[KS Toronado]

6. With you 100%

Hit the wrong button, meant this for Hunter, #4

[Demovictory9]

8. wow. good.

[llmart]

10. "Richest country in the world" my lily white ass.

I'm so sick of that meme about how we're the richest country in the world and yet we can't get basic services to all citizens that need it. Internet connection should be free.

We have billions of dollars to waste on military crap but god forbid we spend money to educate kids.

Scamway DeVos and her family could chip in some of their millions also but we know that will never happen.

[stopdiggin]

16. little bit of clarification. TacoB did NOT call authorities

busybodies on social media decided that this behavior (remote schooling on business wifi) constituted neglect. CPS investigated on the basis of public comments -- and found nothing indicating neglect.

(other comments here regarding "digital divide" in this country -- are absolutely on point -- and hardly a secret to school systems, public officials or parents. One of many places where the USA is actually lagging behind large parts of the world.)

[niyad]

17. Thank you. I was wondering how CPS got involved, since it was clear that the employees were trying

to help.

[Celerity]

21. The story said 40%! of Latinx in Silicon Valley have no internet. WTF.