Policy Watch
An eye on policy changes in Ireland, the UK and beyond
Innovation: Free Wifi in the US | National Broadband Plan in Ireland
Innovation in the face of digital exclusion
Volunteer fire stations are the latest public buildings in Daviess County, Kentucky (USA) to offer free WiFi at their carparks, to help local students access online schooling. A school district in eastern Virginia, USA offered another example of innovation, installing high-performance routers – powered by the vehicle’s engine and charged via solar panels on its roof – in a fleet of school buses and placing them permanently in digitally excluded communities. In both examples, students can access the hotspots by sitting outside or in vehicles parked nearby.
In Ireland
The Connected Communities initiative of the National Broadband Plan saw community centres in 17 localities from East and West Cork receive free, high-speed public access WiFi.