Updated
Updated · tucsonspotlight.org · Aug 19
We Care Tucson Opens Free Internet Café With 10-to-6 Hours to Bridge Digital Divide
Updated
Updated · tucsonspotlight.org · Aug 19

We Care Tucson Opens Free Internet Café With 10-to-6 Hours to Bridge Digital Divide

1 articles · Updated · tucsonspotlight.org · Aug 19

Summary

  • Desert Byte opened in Tucson this month as a free internet café offering public access to computers and broadband for residents who lack reliable service.
  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekday hours include adult-only access from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and youth hours from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., with staff on site to help users.
  • We Care Tucson also built in safeguards by blocking gambling sites and the dark web, aiming to give parents and other users a safer place to get online.
  • The nonprofit says the café is meant to support job, school and community needs, especially for people who cannot afford software or campus-style tech resources.
  • A youth Dungeons & Dragons club starts Aug. 22, and We Care Tucson hopes Desert Byte can grow much like its summer camps, which expanded from 18 to more than 50 children.

Insights

With only eleven computers available, how will Desert Byte handle the overwhelming demand of Tucson's digital divide?
Why did a local casino help fund a free internet café that strictly blocks all online gambling sites?