Tech Exchange is Giving Away 2,000 Lines of Free Home Internet Across the Bay Area

Akina Huey
Aug 12
3 min read

Updated: Aug 14

While the Bay Area drives the world's digital future as the “Tech Capital of the World”, over 100,000 households are still left offline, lacking reliable internet access. This means thousands of individuals remain disconnected from essential services, opportunities, and the broader digital landscape.

As we celebrate 30 years of service to the Bay Area, Tech Exchange is launching a bold new initiative to bring high-speed home internet to thousands of households who need it most. This milestone program will provide 2,000 lines of free home internet and hotspots to underserved families across all Nine (9) Bay Area counties - continuing our mission to ensure every household can fully participate in today’s digital world.

Powered By Purpose - Built for Impact

We’re proud to announce that this new initiative will provide 2,000 lines of free home internet and hotspots to families in need in the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Richmond, and Solano County.

1,000 Home Internet kits - Simple, self-install equipment provided at no charge
1,000 Mobile Hotspots - Simple, ready to use
1,000 Cell Phones - Each device will include six months of free high-speed internet, with no fees, contracts, or hidden costs — service is fully covered through January 2026. After that, families can choose to continue or cancel service with no penalty.
Wraparound support - Personalized check-ins, multilingual assistance, and access to digital literacy resources to ensure families can confidently navigate and make the most out of their connection (for more information read below)
Dozen of community enrollment events - serving 100+ families per event

This initiative ensures that families receive not just devices, but also connectivity and support - the full ecosystem required for digital equity.

Supporting Families Beyond Connectivity

Tech Exchange is committed to providing wraparound support that goes beyond internet distribution. Our goal is to ensure families gain access to the internet and feel confident utilizing it to meet their daily needs. We will provide:

Check ins with household to assess service quality and help navigate next steps as the 6-month period ends
Provide ongoing resources (e.g. digital literacy classes, low cost computer sale events. etc)
Notify participants one month in advance of their service ending, with clear, multilingual guidance

Why Tech Exchange?

For 30 years, Tech Exchange has been a Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to bridging the digital divide by providing equitable access to technology, internet connectivity, digital literacy, and workforce development opportunities for underserved communities.

Since 1995, we’ve:

Diverted 3,050+ tons of e-waste
Distributed 250,000+ computers
Provided 75,000+ hours of multilingual digital literacy training
Connected 25,000+ individuals to home internet
Trained 500+ interns in STEM career pathways

From enrolling families in free and low-cost internet programs to co-leading the Oakland Undivided campaign that connected over 50,000 students during the pandemic, Tech Exchange has been a trusted leader in digital inclusion for three decades.

This new initiative is our next step in reshaping the digital landscape - bringing us closer than ever to closing the digital divide across the Bay Area.

Upcoming Enrollment Events Across Bay Area

We're excited to announce the first dates of our upcoming series of internet enrollment events!

On Wednesday, August 27th, 2025 from 12PM - 6PM, Tech Exchange will host an enrollment event at our Oakland Warehouse at 2201 Poplar St., Oakland CA 94607.

Register Here

These events are designed to enroll up to 100 families at each location, providing direct support, language access, and same-day connectivity to help bridge the digital divide.

Additional dates and locations across the Bay Area will be announced soon. Stay connected by following us on social media @TechXOrg and checking our website for the latest updates.

Get Involved

Tech Exchange is actively seeking community partners - including schools, libraries, housing agencies, and local nonprofits - to help bring this initiative to families across the Bay Area from August 15th - October 31st, to co-host Internet Enrollment & Device Deployment Events. These events will include: