Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress makes the following findings: Access to computers and computer technology are indispensable for success in the 21st century. Millions of Americans do not regularly use a computer and research shows that substantial disparities remain in both internet use and the quality of access with the digital divide concentrated among older, less educated, less affluent populations, especially veterans, low-income students, and senior citizens. In 1996, the President issued Executive Order 12999 instructing the General Services Administration
(GSA)to allow schools and nonprofits the ability to receive Federal surplus computers for educational purposes. GSA created the Computers for Learning Program, which distributes approximately 30,000 computers and computer-related equipment annually to public schools and nonprofits for reuse. As a Federal program, Computers for Learning has lagged in fulfilling its mission just as the need for computer access for basic services and education has skyrocketed. Computers for Learning has failed on three fronts through waste (computers going to schools and nonprofits that are not equipped to refurbish them), abuse (multiple cases of theft or fraud in recent years), and inefficiency (schools and nonprofits that lack the capacity to refurbish on a regional or national scale). Computers for Learning would benefit from increased coordination by working directly with certified nonprofit computer refurbishers, the majority of which are allied together under the Alliance for Technology Reuse and Refurbishing (AFTRR). AFTRR members collectively refurbish and put over 90,000 computers back into the community annually from public and privately donated equipment, closing the digital divide and diverting millions of pounds of potential e-waste from landfills. Each AFTRR member has bridging the digital divide at the core of their respective missions. Collectively, they have decades of experience, capacity, and knowledge in not only refurbishing computers, but also, distributing them to people in need, with many providing low-cost internet access and digital literacy training. AFTRR members have led the Nation in bridging the digital divide for years, and in some cases, decades.