NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida Connect Program provides devices and internet to children of incarcerated parents in Gadsden County and rural communities.
- A local foundation provides no cost mobile devices and up to three years of internet service.
- The program targets rural and underserved communities across North Florida.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
For some children in Gadsden County, getting online for school is still a daily challenge.
But a new program is providing no-cost devices and internet service to families who need it most, including children of incarcerated parents.
I’m neighborhood reporter Lentheus Chaney in Northwest Tallahassee.
One Quincy native tells me this mission is personal, and inmates hope the program will help their children.
“My goal is to help my kids do better, move forward with their education, help them do things that I couldn’t do,” said Gadsden County inmate Tradarius Gaines.
The program is called Florida Connect.
It provides mobile devices and up to three years of internet and mobile service to eligible Floridians in rural and underserved communities.
Organizers say the goal is to help students and families who have little or no access to reliable internet at home.
Part of this program focuses on children of local inmates who may lack internet access while a parent is incarcerated.
I spoke with an incarcerated father of twins and the mother of a 19-year-old, who both say this program means their children will have a better chance to stay on track in school.
“He likes music and he want to be in the music business one day, and for him to be able to have this free device for his education means everything to me because I can’t provide it right now,” said Gadsden County inmate Daneia Belford.
The program was developed by Freddie Figgers, a Quincy native and telecommunications entrepreneur.
I spoke with him at his childhood home.
He told me providing technology and resources to children in his community is personal to him.
“Computers saved my life when I was a child. At the age of nine, my father bought me a nonworking Macintosh computer. These are learning devices, and this is creating workforce development. And these devices are going into students’ hands to make sure they don’t travel down the same path that a loved one may have done,” Figgers said.
Federal data show the need remains high in rural communities.
According to a 2024 Pew Research Center report, rural residents are less likely to have home broadband and less likely to own devices such as smartphones, tablets or computers than urban residents.
And according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 22.3% of rural Americans lack access to fixed broadband, compared to 1.5% of urban Americans.
The program currently covers 18 counties across Florida, including several in our area, like Gadsden, Jefferson, Madison and Taylor.
“I’m locked up right now, and I can’t be there to provide the things that my kids need to continue with their education, so, I mean, it’ll mean a lot,” Gaines said.
The foundation says devices will be distributed until supplies are exhausted.
Eligible residents can apply through the Figgers Foundation website.
In Northwest Tallahassee, I’m Lentheus Chaney, ABC 27.