<p>I’m curious whether school systems in poverty stricken areas have the same expectations of every home having computer and Internet access as the suburban middle class schools do. I suspect those kinds of differences change the perception of whether it is necessary or not. When my ex (with whom I had 50-50 custody) was unemployed for 4 years and was going to cut off his Internet, I told him I would pay for it because a) The kids wouldn’t be able to stay at his house without Internet access and I think it has been healthy for them to have two very involved parents and b) He would have a harder time job hunting without Internet. I paid for it until his GF moved in and started helping with the bills. </p>
<p>The “printer or not” issue at colleges varies greatly by the college and needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis. </p>