SHARON STROVER

Philip G. Warner Regents Professor in Communication

SEPTEMBER 2017

WIFI HOTSPOTS IN

URBAN AND RURAL

COMMUNITIES

What is a Hotspot? • Connects to the Internet via a cellular

(wireless) service provider (i.e. AT&T, Verizon, etc.)

• Emits a Wi-Fi signal that users can connect their personal devices to (laptop, tablet, or smart phone) in order to use the Internet

• Most can connect 8-10 devices at one time • Mobile – will work wherever the service

provider has coverage • Speeds based on provider signal • Similar to a data plan for a cell phone • Unlimited plans available

Why Loan Out Hotspots?

• Bridging the Digital Divide – rural v. urban

The composite picture of rural Internet access • Fixed broadband infrastructure is less

competitive and less capable;

• The percentage of the rural population

regularly using the Internet is lower than

in metro areas;

• Smartphone coverage in rural regions is

less competitive and spottier in

coverage; lower use of that technology

among rural populations;

• Fewer institutional alternatives exist to

assist with broadband access and

training.

Photo: Goodland, KS historical building

Why Loan Out Hotspots? • Bridging the Digital Divide – rural v. urban • Reducing the homework gap for children • Providing Internet options to rural areas with poor coverage • Offering connectivity to financially disadvantaged patrons • A host of Internet services…

– Helping individuals with employment opportunities – Accessing health information, especially for seniors – Etc.

• Offering connectivity at community-wide events • Allowing individuals living with disabilities the option to access the Internet

from the comfort of home

Historic Goodland Carnegie Public Library 1912 Photo: Kira Matica

• Libraries serve as community

anchors and prominent points of

access

• Free library Wifi, computer

services, and classes remediate

digital divide

• Mobile Hotspot lending programs

add another tool to library

circulation

• Digital platform initiatives across

urban & rural libraries

Our work: first NYPL assessment, then IMLS Grant: Edges of the National Digital Platform • Started as urban projects but now are gaining traction in rural

locations • In 2015, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library ,

and the Queens Public Library system piloted a hotspot lending program for New York residents without broadband at home.

• Lending 10,000 devices with over $1 million in funding from Google, Knight FOundation and other sources.

• The NYPL partnered with State Libraries in Kansas and Maine, who developed their own programs

Program description

RURAL

• Mobile hotspots loaned by rural libraries

• Sites selected by State Library systems

• Kansas – 18 sites, one year program, Verizon unlimited data plan, 1 week loans

NYPL

• 10,000 devices, one year loans, Sprint was provider,

• Full time manager, targeted libraries in system

Is there a need for Hotspots? Preliminary focus group findings suggest: • COST is biggest reason why users do not have their own household

connections • Used the devices for home schooling, feeling more connected, communicating

with family, entertainment, getting information (local events, healthcare, continuing education)

• Connected the hotspot to a variety of devices (phones, tablets, laptops, even TVs)

• Most saw it as the same if not better than a wired connection (rural locations) • Rural users felt loan period was too short but understood why; shared with

neighbors

AFFORDABILITY is a major factor

*Financial precarity: Most users had mobile phones, but prepaid… On & off services “…we are kind of in a valley, so our options were very limited. So we ended up getting our own hotspot through Verizon. But we only buy 2 GB a month, which isn’t very much. So yeah, we hit the limit – I mean, we mainly just do like e-mail or check [weather] if we’re going to do anything online - SnapFish, Shutterfly, and some banking. Otherwise, if we want to research anything, we wait until we have the hotspot.” [Mary Cotton interview]

Users and uses • Many predictable uses

– Music, video streaming

– News

– Social media, especially FB

– Getting information & completing forms

– Skype, often noted among people with distant relatives (including immigrant workers)

– More time online led to feeling more skilled, more comfortable with Internet

But also some less predictable…

• Home schooling community

– High bandwidth needs of homeschool constituencies b/c of video modules:

“the one family that uses it constantly is a home school family. [I] told them about the program. The home school family explained that one of their daughter’s online course’s had video that would eat it up. So the same family would come get a new device every week.” [Lubec Memorial library librarian, August 2016]

• In transit: rural means distance – Hotspots used by people who need to travel for work, children

on busses, sports teams traveling to competitions, door-to-door mission work

“For many families, the MiFi devices allow them to take advantage of the laptops they received through the one-to-one program. Often, sports teams and classes on field trips would take the devices on the bus so that students could do their schoolwork while traveling” [Jonesport librarian, August 2017].

• Building social capital: Community uses – fairs, events

Urban Findings: Access necessary for Education and Employment in New York Work and School activities cited by focus group participants (2016): • OSHA certification • Basic business classes • Distance learning for community college • Science-based MA degree completion (Blackboard) • Labor union mandated training • Crafting saleable items for Second Life • Use while on the job as a home health aide • Schoolwork while at Grandma’s house without Wi-Fi • Use on a demolition job site • Google Voice used as a way to be contacted by employers/get voicemail

Photo: Alexis Schrubbe.

Stanton County, KS, Library flyer

& typical hotspot device for lending

program

People learned

about hotspots

through word of

mouth, librarians,

social media, local

news

Impact in Libraries: different systems, different results

Hotspots popular in Kansas

– Waitlists

– 12 of 18 libraries found funding to continue

– Increased # of hotspots to loan

-State library held monthly meetings, did evaluation, archived materials

Not as popular in Maine

-Prioritized lending depressed possible users

-Unused devices, no waitlists

-Confusion when devices did not “work”

- Eventual relaxation of K-12 student focus

- Little evaluation follow-through; no central troubleshooting

Differing Management Approaches – ME and KS

• Kansas: Monthly webinars (required) – Reported on monthly stats / patron surveys /device management

– Verizon representative available during webinars for troubleshooting

• Maine: No systematic follow-up – Diminishing program use over time

– Lack of ‘sounding board’ for problems

Cost Challenges Like a cell phone data plan, there are limits to the data of a mobile hotspot device based on monthly service plans. These plans vary based on the service provider and the available technologies in your service area. A company like Sprint, T-Mobile, or any wireless cell phone service provider, may offer different monthly rates for different amounts of data.

Coverage Challenges: Major Cause of Program Failure • https://opensignal.com

can show you what providers are in your area

• Test for reliability – maps may not be perfectly accurate

Other Challenges

• Throttling – If you don’t have an unlimited

plan, users may be “throttled” – ME program had 2 GB limit – KS program initially had 5 GB

limit, moved to unlimited

• Loss / Theft / Damage – User agreement / checkout

policies vital – Determining if / when to call

police

• Waitlist – Reached several months in some

cases – Some locations implemented a

sharable calendar to allow specific checkout dates

– Not really a problem for most communities

Community or Library Board Concerns

• Fears in some communities of illicit material consumption or gambling online…

• Ethical concern: should we subsidize Internet?

BE PREPARED!

New foot traffic? • Some evidence hotspots draw new people

into the library….

Strategies for Success • Relationship with provider to debug operational issues, immediate

service response if theft/loss

• Coverage is key!

• Unique needs of population: one site implemented “short term” 48-hour loan device for emergent needs

• Patron understanding regarding realistic data usage rates

• If many sites, consider management tasks & structure

• Some libraries now allow users to “reserve” hotspot for small fee

• Evaluation

Bigger picture considerations:

Rural libraries don’t function in a vacuum

• Connectivity & Technology

– Maine State Library Network

– Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI)

– BTOP-funded middle mile project “Three Ring Binder”

– Local phone providers phone association for

cheaper backhaul

• Library service regions – tech help, etc.

• For an online version of this document, as well as a continuously updating list of libraries participating in mobile hotspot lending programs, please visit: http://sites.utexas.edu/imlsedgesgrant/

• To learn more about the non-profit Mobile Beacon and Tech Soup and how they help eligible libraries provide mobile hotspot programs to their patrons please visit: http://www.techsoup.org/mobile-beacon

• The American Library Association and the Public Library Association have information about mobile hotspots available at: http://www.ala.org/pla/tools/circulation-technical-services/nontraditional-circulating-materials

Seeking more information?

More Information, Continued

• The following links let you see what cellular networks are operating in your area, but be sure to check with the provider firsthand: – https://opensignal.com/

– www.broadbandmap.gov

• More information from The Institute for Museum and Library Sciences about research and funding for this project is available at: https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/re-31-16-0014-16

Source: Whitacre, 2016