More Than A Golf Tournament: Bryson Dechambeau, Rocket Mortgage Team Up To Help Eliminate Detroit's Digital Divide

The Rocket Mortgage Classic, an annual golf tournament presented by Rocket Companies Inc RKT, will be raising money for initiatives to target Detroit's "Digital Divide."

The divide refers to the number of Detroiters who don't have adequate access to high-speed internet. The need for high-speed internet was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, causing millions of people to work from home using telecommunications.

Members of the Rocket Mortgage board as well as other community leaders discussed the initiatives at a June 7 press conference.

"This is a once in a generation opportunity," said Darienne Hudson, CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, to change the city's status as the least connected metropolis in the United States.

Rocket Companies CEO Jay Farner discussed EBB 313, an initiative that combines a federal program, Emergency Broadband Benefit, with a specific program targeting Detroit. 313 is Detroit's area code for telephone numbers.

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EBB 313 is run by Connect 313 – an organization founded by the City of Detroit, Rocket Mortgage Classic, Rocket Companies, Microsoft, and United Way of Southeastern Michigan that aims to close Detroit's digital divide. EBB 313 is the only initiative of its kind in the country.

At the press conference, the board discussed a subsidy that would provide families who qualified a $50 a month payment for internet services, as well as a one-time $100 payment to put toward a computer, laptop or tablet.

The goal is to even the opportunities for families who have inadequate access to internet speeds not only for adults that need internet for work, but also for families that are reliant on the internet for school.

More than 250,000 Detroit residents – nearly 40% of all Detroit households – are expected to qualify for the program, according to a press release from Rocket Mortgage.

Bryson Dechambeau, the winner of the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic, discussed that this charitable initiative is something he feels passionate about.

"We have to include anybody and everybody. One of the great things Rocket is doing is with the digital divide," Dechaumbeau said. "Being able to provide people with opportunities is one of the things that's going to be able to progress humanity as a whole."