Made in collaboration with AT&T and Candle Media’s ATTN:, the short film chronicles how the lack of connectivity impacts the lives of a high school student, an educator and a small business owner.
Key Takeaways:
- Route to Connection illustrates the challenges encountered by those at the heart of the digital divide, the gap that exists between those who can fully participate in our digital world through fast, reliable connectivity and those who cannot.
- Streaming now, watch the 15-minute documentary – directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Eve Van Dyke – at att.com/routetoconnection or on Amazon Fire TV.
- Through Amazon’s Stream it Forward initiative, $1 will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America & Maverick Boys and Girls Clubs of Amarillo for every stream on Fire TV.
What’s the news?
Amarillo, Texas is a bustling city built on the ranching industry. Around the time it was founded, there were more cattle than people. Today, the number of people has outpaced the availability of high-speed internet, a reality that Amarillo educator Vicky Lewis knows all too well. At 60 years old she felt called to pursue her college degree online, but her assignments often took too long to load or wouldn’t load at all. So, she’d grab her keys and drive to her sister’s house where she’d park outside and work from her car to get the job done.
Vicky is not alone. For fellow Amarillo locals like Serges Hakizimana, an interpreter and small business owner, and Natalie Stephens, a high-school student training to become a welder, the struggle to get online is a barrier that shapes their daily lives.
They are among the tens of millions of Americans facing the digital divide every day. Route to Connection, a moving documentary by AT&T and ATTN:, with Emmy-winning filmmaker Eve Van Dyke (Zero Tolerance and Shadowland), showcases the resilience of those navigating these obstacles and how the arrival of AT&T Fiber plays a pivotal role in their lives. For Vicky, it’s the difference between searching for Wi-Fi outside her sister’s house, and the ability to quickly access her online coursework from the comfort of her own home. Experience her transformative journey alongside those of Serges and Natalie by streaming the film now at att.com/routetoconnection or on Amazon Fire TV.
Why Amarillo?
Amarillo, TX is one of the least connected cities in America. Through a public-private partnership with the city, AT&T broke ground in the community in 2022, to connect more than 22,000 locations – or roughly half of the city that did not have broadband1 – with AT&T Fiber. By working together to deploy our best and fastest internet available, the city of Amarillo will be connected for decades to come.
While this film shines a light on one city, it represents what many across the U.S. endure, as tens of millions of Americans lack access to high-speed internet. As Amarillo transitions from one of the least connected cities to a model of digital inclusion, its journey serves as an inspiring blueprint for communities nationwide.
What they’re saying:
![“To have access to reliable internet, connects me with my family back home [in Burundi]. I can face time or talk to them as many times as I want. Second, even though [those who are new to the country] do not know how to read or write, once you are connected on the internet, the world is yours.” - Serges Hakizimana](https://about.att.com/ecms/dam/snr/2024/june/in-story/route-to-connection-serges-hakizimana-02.png)
![“In my welding training I did not think that the internet would play a role like it did, but as I went along, I started to notice that you can learn things on the internet [...] just as you can outside doing hands on!” - Natalie Stephens](https://about.att.com/ecms/dam/snr/2024/june/in-story/route-to-connection-natalie-stephens-03.png)
What’s the impact?
AT&T exists to connect every American possible, which is why we have committed a total of $5 billion since 2021 to help people get and stay connected to high-speed internet by 2030. Every inch of fiber AT&T deploys has the potential to be lifechanging. That’s why we’re working quickly and diligently to expand fiber to more communities and connect them to greater possibility.
Additionally, we provide digital literacy resources for those new to the online world through our Connected Learning program. We offer our discounted Access service plan and advocate for sound policy that stimulates private investments in affordable, high-speed internet for the people and places that need it most.
Further, we’ve teamed up with Fire TV’s Stream It Forward initiative to donate $1 for every stream of Route to Connection on Fire TV to the Boys & Girls Club of America & Maverick Boys and Girls Clubs of Amarillo.2
To watch Route to Connection now, check out att.com/routetoconnection. For more information about AT&T’s efforts to help narrow the digital divide, please visit att.com/digitaldivide. To find out if AT&T Fiber is available where you live, head to att.com/internet/fiber.
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