With the ongoing pandemic, the internet is even more important than ever as millions of Americans work, learn, shop and socialize online. But the COVID-19 crisis has laid bare the sad reality that many Americans are on the wrong side of the digital divide and don’t have Internet access at home.
We need to make long-term changes to bridge this gap, but in the meantime, communities across the country are taking action to deliver high-speed internet to underserved and unserved citizens. Along with setting up public Wi-Fi hotspots in libraries and community centers, some communities have literally driven change by delivering connectivity to students on otherwise inactive school buses equipped with Wi-Fi.
Here are a few examples of the success of “Wi-Fi On Wheels” in recent weeks:
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After switching to an entirely remote curriculum, the Jackson Public School system in Michigan installed Wi-Fi on all of its 52 school buses and parked them in neighborhoods to help students stay connected while they learn remotely. The $65,000 investment by JPS was made in an effort to help underprivileged families — especially those with multiple students in the school system.
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In North Carolina, the Hendersonville Public School system parked school buses enabled with Wi-Fi at 19 school sites and five community locations. The school system also provided families with an interactive Google Map reference guide to pinpoint where they could connect.
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The “Eat Awesome Cool Bus” in Huntington, West Virginia was just finished this past week and equipped with a Wi-Fi hotspot to help serve those in the Cabell County School system. While the bus was initially designed to deliver nutritious meals to students over the summer, it will now also serve as a way for these students to stay connected.
While it’s great to see communities across the country finding creative ways to deliver connectivity to those who need it most, this is not a long-term solution. For instance, Wi-Fi buses in Austin, Texas were great for the area until schools began to reopen and the buses were needed to transport students. The time is now for the FCC to take long-term action and help communities across America by opening the 5.9 GHz and 6 GHz band to Wi-Fi making connectivity faster, cheaper and more reliable and connecting the unconnected.