MIAMI (WSVN) - Students and families in Miami-Dade County received high-tech help, in the form of dozens of laptops.

AT&T and Compudopt on Friday afternoon handed out 100 refurbished laptops to a nonprofit that works to encourage computer literacy.

The head of Opportunities Industrialization Centers of South Florida said the event will help families who don’t have access to the internet.

“There’s so many people that don’t know about digital divide. That issue is, you have a rapid growing ecosystem in Miami-Dade County where people get all kind of jobs in the tech sector, but people don’t have the necessary resources, i.e. laptops, to be able to be competitive, to create opportunity to earn those jobs,” said Newton Sanon, OIC’s CEO.

In Florida, an estimated 11% households do not have access to the internet or connected devices.

The laptop distribution is all part of AT&T Connected Learning initiative, which aims to reduce the digital divide.

The company hopes to help 25 million people get and stay connected to high-speed internet by the end of the decade.

Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox