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California legislation addresses the ‘Digital Divide’

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October 15, 2020 12:42 AM
Published 12:54 PM

News 11's Gianella Ghiglino examines how lawmakers hope to make wifi available to everyone

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The California legislature is addressing the so-called “Digital Divide.”

That phrased gained traction after a photo of two kids outside a Taco Bell went viral. It demonstrated the lengths some have to go to just to get online.

Edgar Cabral, a deputy legislative analyst says for students in rural areas, like Imperial County, accessing the internet is one issue. Accessing high-speed internet is another.

“If you have several kids in a home trying to access class on zoom and a parent who works remote trying to access the same internet you’re going to need a specific type of internet to support all these devices,” said Cabral.

As more services move online, internet access becomes crucial for survival. “The internet is what the telephone was in the '50's,” said Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell.

So what can the state do to bring all its residents online? News 11's Gianella Ghiglino examines the options. See her reports beginning at 5 on the Early Edition.

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Gianella Ghiglino

Peruvian-born and LA raised Gianella Ghiglino joins the team from the San Fernando valley. “LA is the place that taught me how to breath and Peru is my breath.” She says she was inspired by the community she grew up in and began documenting her experience through poetry at the age of 7. “I wrote about everything I saw, felt and everything that inspired me.” When she entered High School she joined her school news station and realized that broadcast journalism allowed her to pursue her passion and her purpose all at once. Gianella attended Cal State Northridge and received a Bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Spanish Broadcast Journalism, and Political Science. She did several internships while in College but most notably interned for PBS’s local LA station for three years. “My purpose is to share my story and of those in my community, my passion is writing.”

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