Community libraries in Bristow, Shattuck and Yale are getting a $5,000 grant for new hotspot devices for people to check out and connect to the internet.
The money is through a hotspot program administered by Oklahoma State University Extension and Oklahoma AARP, according to an OSU extension press release.
While community members find new books to read at the libraries, they can also pick up a Wi-Fi hotspot at their local library in the program. Thirty-three libraries serve about 3,900 Oklahomans annually with the program. The devices can help people use the internet for things like health care and education resources.
Brian Whitacre, a rural development OSU extension specialist, said when choosing the libraries they tried to find spaces in small towns and communities struggling with connectivity.
“Statewide, an average 10% of households don’t have any kind of internet connection, but for this year’s project, the numbers in Bristow, Shattuck and Yale are double that – over 20% of households have no kind of connectivity,” Whitacre said in a press release.
The Affordable Connectivity Program was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and ended earlier this year after its Congressional funding ran out, despite efforts to continue the program.
He said many low-income residents who got a monthly discount through the program had to drop their internet service, and the library hotspot program can help the households.
The extension and state AARP have awarded funding for mobile internet devices since 2018. The libraries loan the hotspots to more than 100 households annually, according to the press release.
Sean Voskuhl, AARP Oklahoma state director, said the program’s success has caught the attention of other states’ AARP chapters in Alaska, Maine, South Dakota and Tennessee are now exploring similar ideas.
“High-speed internet is extremely important for people of all ages,” Voskuhl said. “Internet access for social connection, finding a job and staying connected to the community has so many health and economic benefits.”
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