Montgomery County has leveraged federal COVID-19 funding to install outdoor public Wi-Fi at
This free service is available 24
hours a day in parking lots adjacent to the library buildings. Additional
coverage is provided in grass area behind the Davis branch, in the park from
the library to the playground area at Wheaton, and in the Rockville Town
Square. Wi-Fi coverage varies by location. Customers are advised to
follow COVID-19 safety recommendations and are required to adhere to executive
orders and Health Officer directives when using the services.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has
brought greater awareness of the impacts of the widening digital disparity,
which often deprives community members of opportunities to participate in
important daily-life activities such as remote learning, accessing workforce
development and employment information or staying up-to-date
on news and information,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The work of
MCPL and the Department of Technology Services (DTS) to secure funding to
provide Wi-Fi availability for outside use at 11 County facilities is another
step in working to ensure that all community members have equitable access
to reliable connectivity.”
“Outdoor public Wi-Fi will
provide more places for people without home Wi-Fi to access the Libraries’
early literacy, education, workforce development and health and wellness
information and the robust digital programs and services,” said MCPL Director
Anita Vassallo.
MCPL and the Department of
Technology Services (DTS) applied for but were not awarded an Institute of
Museum and Library Services federal COVID-19 grant. DTS then worked to
leverage other federal CARES Act COVID-19 grant funding to install the free
outdoor Wi-Fi access.
“With the support of the County’s
Chief Administrative Officer, we thought strategically about how we could
leverage remaining federal COVID-19 funding to help families and small
businesses respond to COVID-19,” said Montgomery County Chief Information
Officer and Director of DTS Gail M. Roper. “Internet is essential during the
pandemic and DTS is proud to work with MCPL to find ways to expand internet
access for those that do not have it at home. I am also pleased that the
Poolesville branch was selected to support small business owners and will also
provide more internet access for rural Montgomery County.”
The 10 library branches were chosen
by analyzing U.S. Census and MCPL data. Seven library branches were
selected by mapping Census data neighborhoods with lower incomes and households
without home internet. The Pew Research Center for Internet & Technology
reported that as of 2019, 18 percent of adults with incomes less than $30,000
do not have home internet access, compared to only 2 percent of adults with
incomes greater than $75,000, and 85 percent and 86 percent of Black and
Hispanic adults use the internet compared to 92 percent of White adults.
Median per capita income in the Census Block Groups served by the 7 libraries
is $35,372 and the population is 27 percent Black and 28 percent Hispanic.
Three additional locations (Davis, Rockville and Wheaton Regional) were selected
because prior to the pandemic they had greater participation in MCPL small
business programs.
“Small business owners who relied
on MCPL indoor Wi-Fi to run their businesses asked the County for help and we
were glad to assist them,” said Assistant Chief Administrative Officer for
Small Economic Development Jerome Fletcher. “Small businesses are
critical to County’s economy recovery and more outdoor public Wi-Fi is another
way the County is offering relief to small businesses.”
For more information about the outdoor
Wi-Fi services contact MCPL Assistant Director James Donaldson at James.Donaldson@montgomerycountymd.gov
or 240-777-0030.
For more information about the
County’s digital equity initiatives contact ultraMontgomery Director Mitsuko
Herrera at Mitsuko.Herrera@montgmerycountymd.gov
or 240-777-2928.
