Wednesday, 4 February 2005 :: 12:12 pm

Governor Granholm Introduces the MiPc Program

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com

Jennifer Granholm was the featured speaker at the 10th Annual Women and Leadership in the Workplace Conference.

Governor Granholm has introduced a new program called "MiPC." It is going to provide Michigan residents with the opportunity to get huge deals on computers, software, Internet service, e-mail and warrantes for the products.

Granholm's idea is to make computers available for all people living in MIchigan no matter what their income level is. It will benefit people who are poor or who are currently unemployed. Her goal is to make more people in our state familiar with using computers.

Jennifer Granholm reports, "This program helps position Michigan for the new marketplace without expanding government spending." She adds, "This is about expansing access to the technology that citizens need in order to be successful in the 21st-Century marketplace."

According to the state's Department of Information Technology, 85% of all new jobs will require proficient computer skills. Recent studies conducted by EPIC-MRA indicate that 28% of Michigan homes do not have computers or the Internet. That is about 1.05 million families in our state.

The MiPC program is going to offer three different types of computers and type different types of laptops. The state is going to look for computer manufacturers that are willing to sign on with this new program. Granholm expects to seell 100,000 new computers in this first year of the program.

This package will also come with software programs for word processing, spreadsheets and other applications, similar to Microsoft Office. In addition, the MiPC program will offer free tech support to teach users how to e-mail, use the internet and other programs.

It begs the question, are people going to continue to buy expensive computers or settle with the ones provided by the state? Will this program have an effect on competition between the manufacturers? What will the effect be on Internet providers?

The hope is to get this program up and running by May or early June. It should be very beneficial for people who are poor or living with low income. There is an option for you and it's coming in less than two months.