Boston Public Library Preparing to Lend Wi-Fi Hotspots
From the Boston Herald:
Boston Public Library is preparing to lend out wireless hotspots — free of charge — to low income residents as part of Verizon’s deal to install high-speed fiber optic cable throughout the Hub over the next five years.
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Once the program begins, Boston residents with a library card will be able to borrow a mobile hotspot, a pocket-size device that uses cell service to create a portable WiFi network.
The program will be funded initially by $100,000 from Verizon, a provision of the agreement that allows the cable giant to install its Fios service across the city.
Although many of the specifics are still being worked out — including how long the hotspots will be lent for and how they would be metered — [Anne] Schwieger [Boston’s broadband and digital equity advocate] said one thing is clear: the program will target low-income residents who cannot afford broadband, not people who can’t live without Netflix on their camping trip.
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Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.