Big broadband projects lead by example

In the midst of the myriad problems facing libraries in the United States—from the pandemic to burnout to the drastic increase in materials challenges—I want to celebrate a big win: the shift to libraries as at-scale providers of home connectivity for the digitally disenfranchised in their communities.

In April 2021 I wrote, in “Broadening Broadband,” that I hoped forthcoming funds from the Federal Communications Commission Emergency Broadband Benefit and the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) would enable libraries to “parlay that temporary help into a permanent paradigm shift.”

I’m delighted to say that the field has made far more progress toward that goal in one year than I would have dared to predict. While libraries lending Wi-Fi hotspots and Chromebooks happened before COVID, of course, this new funding has caused the advent of programs so different in scale that they amount to a different model. Devices such as laptops, hotspots, and routers are outright gifted or provided on long-term loan, so there is time for users to learn, acclimate, and rely on their benefits. Most importantly, thousands of households are reached. This not only increases the number of individuals helped, it is enough to transform community, or at least neighborhood, expectations. For those they impact, these projects have the potential to create a more equitable digital normal.

It is notable that few of these projects are solo library enterprises. They frequently build on partnerships with city and county governments, public housing, internet providers, nonprofits, and more.

While we still have a long way to go to achieve equitable access, I find the number of libraries scaling up in this relatively short time frame impressive. Montgomery County, MD, is giving away 40,000 free computers to residents with library cards. Harris County Public Library, TX, will provide 40,000 hotspots and 15,000 Chromebooks. Boston Public Library is providing Chromebooks and home routers for 3,000 patrons in public housing. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s MeckTech Computer Kit Program is giving out 20,000 free laptops, and the MeckTech Connect pilot offers free home internet to more than 800 homes, with more planned. St. Louis Public Library is providing 4,000 laptops and hotspots for long-term loans. Los Angeles Public Library’s Tech2Go Computer Bundles include 2,000 Chromebooks and hotspots for six-month checkout. And these are just some of the larger projects we hear about. The ECF alone has funded more than 500 library initatives. There are too many smaller projects to list, but their cumulative scale is also impressive, and they are just as transformative for those they touch.

It remains to be seen whether federal funding for such programs will become permanent. If it doesn’t, it also remains to be seen whether state, county, and local governments will take up the torch. I hope they will—home connectivity is good for education, the workforce, and the economy. But if today’s inflation turns into tomorrow’s recession, austerity budgets may be hard pressed to cover traditional library services, let alone recent expansions.

Many of the projects I mentioned above tackle urban digital disconnection, where the biggest barrier is cost. In rural settings, which can also have physical infrastructure barriers, projects often focus on connecting the library rather than homes. These include TV White Space programs like the one at Twin Lakes Library System, GA. The Middle Rio Grande Pueblo Tribal Consortium and the Jemez and Zia Pueblo Tribal Consortium in New Mexico built two tribally owned and operated fiber-optic networks to provide broadband to libraries and schools. And the Gigabit Libraries Network’s “LEO Libraries” is partnering with SpaceX Starlink to test low earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband at rural libraries.

While we are still in the early days of the paradigm shift, despite all the challenges of 2022, public libraries have taken important first steps towards broadening broadband. I hope they are just the beginning of the journey.