After dozens of local leaders donated time and ideas to launch ConnectHome and bring high-speed Internet to low-income families, San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor laid out the long odds and the tall challenge ahead. A child born in a poor census tract today "has less than a 1-in-20 chance of escaping poverty," Taylor told the group.

Google Fiber’s vow to install 4,000 miles of gigabit fiber optic cable in San Antonio over the next two years means those who can already afford broadband Internet will be able to purchase it at blazingly faster speeds. A typical home or small business connection could go from 10 Megabits per second to as much as 1,000 Megabits per second.

The Edge: Helping you catch up and get ahead San Antonio’s heritage extends long before the Spanish Missions

About 275,000 families in the U.S., including more than 6,000 in San Antonio, will get free high-speed home Internet under ConnectHome, a demonstration project announced July 15 by President Barack Obama and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. “America’s challenge in this 21st century is to remain the world’s undisputed land of opportunity," said Castro. "By expanding broadband adoption, ConnectHome will provide more Americans with the same high-speed access to knowledge and opportunity that millions of people already enjoy.”

REPLAY the VIDEO from a panel discussion at Geekdom on the future of broadband Internet in San Antonio.