Three branches of New York City's library system will offer free, year-long hotspot rentals to students and their families who do not have access to the internet at home.

The new program, unveiled Wednesday, will reach 275,000 low-income households in 27 cities and help students access the Internet at home.

The tech director said he didn't sign up for the ConnectED initiative because offers of free connectivity and software from private companies typically disappear after a year.

As part of his ConnectED initiative, which aims to get high-speed broadband in schools, Obama is expected to announce access to e-books for millions of kids.