Washington state is deploying more than 300 “drive-in” WiFi hotspots to help residents who are unable to access the internet due to the stay-home order.
Microsoft and Avista Foundation helped fund the program; Microsoft contributed as part of its Airband Initiative. Together they have deployed 140 hotspots so far. There will be around 600 total pubic hotspots available, including 301 existing Washington State Library hotspots.
Washington residents can find WiFi locations here. They operate primarily as “parking lot hotspots”; some sites will offer indoor public access. Social distancing and hygiene precautions are required. The state says each hotspot will have “its own security protocol.” “Some will be open and others will have Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) safe security installed,” according to a news release.
Washington State University is also helping host drive-in WiFi locations.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced the expansion of the hotspot program Friday during a press conference. He said Washington’s stay-home order is succeeding at slowing the spread of COVID-19 and announced curbside retail sales and landscaping can resume as part of the state’s phased re-opening plan.
The longtime problem of digital inequity has been thrown into sharp relief by the coronavirus pandemic as residents without reliable home internet struggle to access education and essential services.
Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal compared the internet to a utility during a press conference last month, a position long held by advocates for municipal broadband.
“If there’s anyone today who does not see telecom and connectivity as an essential utility, much like water and clean air, then I would challenge them to think about our history,” Reykdal said at the time. “Right now we must sew the seeds of complete innovation in connectivity for families. It is the way we will learn. It is the way of the future.”
