By Katherine Messier, Director of NACEPF & Executive Director of Mobile Beacon and Kristen Perry, Voqal

The digital divide runs wide and deep in the U.S., where 34 million people still lack internet access.

The internet is not only the way we connect with our family and friends – it is also essential for important tasks such as applying for health care, searching for jobs and furthering your education, not to mention paying your bills, checking email and simply Googling. For nonprofits, online access is equally urgent, whether you’re delivering vital resources to low-income families, connecting veterans with housing and job opportunities or working to ensure all children have access to an equal education.

But all too often, institutions that anchor their communities, like nonprofits, libraries and schools, cannot afford the internet access they so desperately need to serve their communities. While there is no single provider or source that can satisfy all of today’s broadband needs, there is one powerful resource that is working to close this digital divide: Educational Broadband Service (EBS).

Read more at Philanthropy Journal News.