[Am-info] High-Speed Internet Added To Child-Support Payments

[Fred A. Miller]

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High-Speed Internet Added To Child-Support Payments 
        
Braces, glasses, tutors, and high-speed Internet? It's not 
exactly a traditional child-support cost, but a judge in Canada 
says that it's up to Dad to pay for online access for his 16-
year-old twin sons.

Justice Donald Lee of the Court of Queen's Bench in Alberta 
said that the high-speed Internet connection offered by 
Cablevision is an important learning tool because it gives the 
children a vast new set of resources. "It is also important 
that 16-year-old children be exposed to the Internet in this 
way as much as reasonably possible especially given their 
learning challenges and deficiencies," Lee wrote in a recent 
ruling. 

The father in the case balked at the payment, which was 
included in a $700 annual charge for roller-hockey expenses, 
summer school and pool passes, and computer-equipment 
purchases. He argued that such amenities are not required to 
meet the children's educational needs, and that computer 
resources are available through public libraries and school. He 
also argued that the Internet charges should be reduced because 
the boys' mother uses the connection for her own E-mail and Web 
surfing. 

But Lee dismissed the objection saying that he had faith the 
mother would give priority to the children and only use the 
Internet when they didn't need it. Lee wrote: "The purchase of 
computer equipment is, in my respectful opinion, quite 
important and necessary for two 16-year-old children at this 
stage in their secondary education, particularly when the 
father has already conceded quite properly that these children 
require $4,000 per year for tutoring costs as part of their 
educational program." - Eileen Colkin

For more on kids and technology, read
Bill Seeks New Online Protection For Children
http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eE270Bce7K0V20PeN0AW

Divided We Fall
http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eE270Bce7K0V20bSF0AO

- -- 
Fred A. Miller
Systems Administrator
Cornell Univ. Press Services
fm@cupserv.org

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