Community Voices

“Internet is very expensive to pay for.”

“Sometimes children don't have computers at home and sometimes it is very difficult for them to read books, but reading every day, whether on the computer or in books, will help.”

Hello, it can be challenging as a parent when we lack knowledge of a language or computer skills. Although older children may be able to assist us, it can be difficult when our children are still young. It's not always easy to find information in our native language.

“I don’t get along with technology.”

“In regards to internet, I have it on my phone but it’s extremely slow and I live underneath some apartments. It’s impossible for signal to enter.”

“Hi, yes, I pay for internet. I honestly think that many people don’t ask or get informed about it because it makes us embarrased to ask and it’s just easier not to have it or pay for it.”

“Yes, it’s difficult.”

“Well, sometimes they don't have access to the Internet because it is expensive to get it at home and they only have it when they search in a library.”

I don’t have access to internet and it would be good to have it.

“Yes, because it is very difficult to pay for internet services.”

“Yes, it’s difficult. I don’t have internet. I am only able to access the internet when someone shares it with me.”

“It is a bit difficult to access the internet due to the high costs.”

“Yes, it's hard when the internet connection is poor. The kids have a hard time connecting. It's very slow.”

“Hello! I have internet through the school program. It’s cheap, but sometimes too slow for my children to do their homework on the computer. With our salary, we can’t afford to get faster Internet.”

“Hello, I think that the Internet should be provided in every household in the city because it is expensive. This way people can connect with work, complete tasks, and do other things online. I believe that legislators should prioritize providing free internet to the citizens instead of spending money on unproductive things. This would benefit everyone and that is my opinion.”

“It is difficult for me to get internet or a computer because it is very expensive.”

“Hello, good afternoon, it would be really helpful to obtain help paying for internet because many of us cannot afford it.”

“It’s hard to find internet that is cheap and performs well. The cheapest internet does not work well.”

“I agree with this very fundamental tool, I am a Latina who speaks Spanish and it would help a lot as a parent to be able to develop and function with children in the English language and in schools there are many virtual meetings in which we often disengage due to lack of internet and tools.”

“I don’t have internet at home.”

“Yes, I would like internet. I have a 14 year old son and he needs the internet.”

“Yes, I would like to apply for internet.”

“Because we don't have the money to pay for the Internet. And if there is free Internet, we don't know or we don't know who to ask to apply for it.”

“Because I don't have the money to pay for internet, and the one they give in schools is of low quality.”

“Hi, good afternoon, yes it’s a bit complicated because our monthly internet bill has increased a lot. I paid $39, and now it’s $60, this creates a destabilization in bill payment.”

“I don't have internet where I live, so I have to go to my friend's house to do my homework. I wanted to get internet access at my home, but the cost was too high for me - $50 is a lot of money, and it's really difficult for me to afford it. I believe that low-income individuals, should have access to affordable internet. Thank you.”

“Description goes It has become difficult for me to continue studying English online due to the fluctuating prices charged by the companies.”

“We do have internet service, but my daughter often has trouble connecting to her laptop for homework. I'm not sure if the speed is the issue or something else. When I contacted our service provider, they suggested upgrading to a more expensive plan but if my internet plan is expensive now, it’ll be even more expensive with an upgraded service.”

“Right now my children don't have internet because they were given some in the school and it doesn't work well because the signal is very weak. It would be good if they could help them a little more wit the internet.”

“Hi, yes because I have a lot of children, the signal cuts off and we cannot do our homework properly.”

Hello, my name is Margeli Diaz, I have 2 students, one in middle school and the other in high school. Each one has a computer, but the Internet they were given at school was only useful for a few month. For that reason, they no longer do homework at home or their computers.....this is my opinion, thank you and have a good day. Perhaps I don't write well. I'm one of the mothers who didn't study when I was young, but thank God my children have taught me a little.”

“Yes, it’s difficult for my family and I because we don’t have internet at home.”

“Hello, the truth is that internet is very expensive. Additionally, many buildings where I live are old without fiber for internet in the house. AT&T has a monopoly in almost all of Oakland and they don't have services for low-income people like my family.”

“I am fortunate to not have difficulties connecting, but I know that many families do have that problem. One solution would be for cable companies to provide internet discounts based on income.”

“The internet quality by my house is not good.”

“We have our children learning English as their second language since their first language at home is Spanish. We live paycheck to paycheck, and sometimes, we can't afford internet services. Although there are low-income programs available, we don't always qualify for them. Furthermore, we can't afford to buy a computer for each child, which makes it difficult for them to access online resources. These expenses are beyond our means.”

“I don't have internet and I have no idea how to establish service. Sometimes I get Xfinity flyers but I think that's just for the television.”

“Because what you earn is not enough to pay for Internet at home. That’s my case, and that increases the energy cost.”

“Hello, good afternoon! We have low-income internet, which can be very slow at times. This makes it difficult for my daughter and granddaughter to complete their school tasks and projects. Unfortunately, we all rely on the internet as an essential tool these days. However, having a higher-speed internet plan is very expensive, and with the current needs we are facing, we have to prioritize our expenses to survive. Thank you.”

“Good afternoon! A significant number of people who come from our countries didn’t live in the city and didn’t grow up with access to the Internet. If parents didn’t have access, it can be complicated for their children to know how to use it. Adding to this, the language barrier makes it even more challenging. As a result, I still find it difficult to use the Internet and have to ask my children for help.”

“Yes, I would be interested. I have internet through my children’s school but the connection is very slow and it cuts out a lot.”

“No. In my case I am fortunate to have internet. This is an essential tool that forms part of our every day lives.”

“Yes, it’s difficult because the cost is too high.”

“At this moment no, but it was. With ATT’s accessible internet, it’s no longer difficult for us to connect to the internet.”

“Yes, we have internet because my college aged son needs it to do his homework.”

“Yes, for me it’s difficult.”

“Yes, it’s true, it can be difficult to afford this service as it is quite expensive. Personally, I utilize public libraries when I need to use it.”

“Good evening, I think that one of the reasons is that cell phone or Internet companies will quote us a price that we’re comfortable with but when the bill arrives, they’ll include additional charges like taxes and other service costs. So if the price quoted for Internet was $50 a month, we get a bill for $70.00 with taxes and additional fees and that is too expensive because there is no work or we get sick.”

“Yes, it’s difficult to connect because we don’t have internet at home.”

“Well, because most people who set up internet service are told one price, and then the next month the price increases. It’s not constant.”

“Yes, it’s difficult because sometimes we don’t get a connection and we don’t have much experience with computers.”

“Hello; well, I have Internet Service with telephone and cable, but it is too expensive, I pay 170 a month. I have a son with autism and we are low income, I don't know if you know of any program that can help.”

“Hello good morning. I would like to give my opinion on this topic. I was born in Mexico, I have been here for more than 20 years, my parents brought me when I was 11 years old. I have two children born here, a girl of 14 and a boy of 6. Thank God it has never been difficult for us to connect to the Internet, perhaps when the pandemic started it was a little difficult to have the financial means to pay a monthly fee, but over time there was a lot of help from the schools, helping students take their online classes and connecting us to the Internet more easily. Our telephones also help a lot because usually all monthly cell phone plans include Internet. For example the Metro by T mobile company has unlimited Internet so it is a lot of help.”

“There is also a discount that they offer to people who receive SNAP or food stamps, or some help from the Government. They qualify for a discount for either home Internet or the monthly cell phone bill. In my case, I previously paid $55 per month for my unlimited telephone line which included internet and now with the discount I pay $22. And the service is great...”

“I think that many people who are just learning English do not have access to the Internet due to lack of information in their language. The discount that I mentioned that I use for my monthly payment, I was looking for that information in Spanish to share it with an acquaintance who does not speak English and I couldn't find it. So it's a little more difficult.”