The digital divide remains a problematic issue in our new century. A new partnership between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Google Fiber, though, may go a little ways toward bridging that gap.

Google Fiber, which has been rolling out its superfast Internet connection throughout the Triangle, says it will soon offer free Internet service to HUD-assisted and affordable housing in the cities in which it operates — about 30 cities in all. That includes several cities and towns in the Triangle: Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Morrisville.

“For far too many low-income families, and especially their children, connecting to the Web remains a distant dream,” HUD Secretary Julián Castro says in a release. “Knowledge and education are the currency of this 21st Century economy, and Google Fiber is helping ensure that all children, no matter where they live, have access to the tools they need to be competitive in their schoolwork and close the digital divide.”

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There is not yet a timeline for when the service will be available in the Triangle, and which specific locations will receive it. The program debuted today in 100 units at an affordable-housing development in Kansas City — the first city in the country to receive Google Fiber services. Google Fiber’s rollout here has been bumpy at times.

More on the partnership, called ConnectHome, is here.