Providing broadband service to those who need it most

I love this article from Fast Company which talks about how libraries are offering drive-up wifi access from their parking lot. It's a great example of how a necessity is indeed the mother of invention. But let's face it: while I applaud this effort, as well as those buses driving around with wifi service, it seems there's a disruptive alternative which could go much further.

One of the problems with schools being closed is that some families don't have broadband connections so their children are unable to participate in e-learning. It's a problem plaguing both urban and rural families. And although it helps, driving to the local library isn't a viable solution.

Our family plan with AT&T provides us with 2 Gigs of downloads from their cellular network. When we exceed that ceiling we're charged $10 for every Gig above two. As we continue working through the current crisis our family would gladly offer to pay for several Gigs worth of download capacity if it's going to a good cause. And by "good cause", I'm talking about those families with children who are unable to get online today.

You're probably familiar with those little hotspot devices you can use on the road for a reliable web connection. How about this, AT&T, et al?: You guys make wifi hotspot devices available to needy families (at no cost) and customers like us subsidize the monthly fees? Let me opt in and just tack it onto my monthly bill, the same way you somehow manage to do with other obscure charges. Your brand (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) would benefit nicely from this as well.

How about it?...