Maryland set to give away 133,000 Chromebooks to citizens in need

Maryland Governor Wes Moore just made a pretty substantial announcement: a whopping $27.2 million is being injected into an effort to get free Chromebooks to those who need them all over the state. The Maryland Office of Statewide Broadband is rolling this out as the Connected Devices Program with a mission to hand out over 133,000 Chromebooks to local governments across 27 under-served areas in Maryland.

These devices are a gateway for Marylanders to be able to apply for jobs, complete schoolwork and connect with vital community resources. In partnership with local governments and community organizations, we are connecting underserved households with the tools they need to succeed and to connect with more opportunities.

Via StateScoop.com

To make all this happen, Maryland teamed up with HP Inc. and Daly Computers to supply the Chromebooks. Plus, the University of Maryland’s TechExtension is jumping in to offer free tech support as well, so free, one-on-one coaching will be available to any Marylander looking for help with their new Chromebook.

Chromebooks are the right fit for this

Seeing stories like this warms my heart, and it’s so awesome that Chromebooks are the perfect tool for this sort of situation. With their low cost, speed, simplicity and rock-solid security, the state of Maryland won’t be sending out a bunch of laptops that will be riddled with viruses and too slow to use over time.

Instead, as these folks get their hands on a new Chromebook, they’ll have a solid and stable connection to the things they need most: school, work and community resources. I can think of no better device to use for this purpose, and it’s pretty amazing to know that 133,000 new Chromebook users will be coming online and will get to experience the fantastic user experience that is ChromeOS.