Birmingham 1st U.S. city to buy laptops meant for Third World

by Giovanni Glass March 5, 2008 3:14 pm Permalink
306 views Filed under: AP, Birmingham, newswire
Source: AP article @ Examiner

The first deployment of a US city to buy and deploy the OLPC XO laptops will be Birmingham, Alabama according to AP. The city council has finally approved the $3.5 million dollar plan. Mayor Larry P. Langford, seen above, is a big proponent of the plan and has been working to get it passed through city council. There were long standing disputes regarding integration, liability and support. They were able to reach a compromise plan two weeks ago. $3 million will be used to purchase 15,000 laptops. $500,000 will be spent for technical support. The laptops should be shipping in the fall.

Watch a local tv station's report on the story from last November.

The Birmingham City Council records show the agenda as Item #5 on February 19th.

A Resolution approving the Agreement with Birmingham Education Initiative, Inc., in an initial amount of $3,500,000.00, for an initial period of one (1) year, renewable annually subject to funds availability, to administer the City of Birmingham’s Laptop Program for Birmingham school children, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the agreement. (Submitted by the City Attorney) (Recommended by the Mayor) (Deferred from 2/12/08 to 2/19/08)

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Birmingham Board of Education and City Council approves initial pilot of 1,000 OLPC laptops

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