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Public WiFi in San Mateo County boosts distance learning in underserved areas

Free public Wi-Fi has become more available and more equitable in San Mateo County, which has invested millions of dollars to boost distance learning, particularly in underserved neighborhoods.

It took a pandemic and distance learning to highlight the inequities of the digital world.


"There were certain areas of the county that people couldn't access things online, there wasn't a cell signal or they didn't have the ability to connect to the Internet at their homes," Jon Walton—the county's Chief Information Officer—told KCBS.

Walton said the county spent more than $6 million to build 230 free Wi-Fi access points.

"What happened when the pandemic hit is a lot of the school districts, mine included, just gave out these hotspots for kids to take home," he said. "The hotspots are great, but they're really just designed primarily for a single user for a limited amount of data.

The new Wi-Fi access points are concentrated in lower income neighborhoods and accessible via Google maps.

Get more information about the San Mateo County Digital Equity Portal at www.smcgov.org/wifi.