Riverside Expands Free Computer Classes to Schools

Starting in May, Riverside, California's SmartRiverside Digital Inclusion Program is expanding its classes from community centers to three Riverside schools.

The city's nonprofit program offers eight hours of computer instruction to residents who then receive a free used desktop computer upon completion of the training. The program is an effort to include all Riversiders, regardless of their income, in the city's upcoming free Wi-Fi Internet program.

"We're opening three new classroom facilities for computer training because we have to keep pace with the increase in demand," said Steve Lowery, the Digital Inclusion Program manager. "We've given away more than 1000 computers so far and the demand for training is only going up."