This story caught my eye because there had been several times I regularly used the local library free wi-fi (either by going inside for a PC or just hanging out in the park outside with a laptop or phone). I usually preferred the library as opposed to going to any local bar or a Walmart parking lot or any other number of free wi-fi spots.
The point is free wi-fi is everywhere and as far back as I can remember all libraries have always had free wi-fi since the 1990s, what I didn't realize is somewhere down the line the libraries began make ng it so that their free wi-fi service was expanded beyond the library premises itself, to include not only access on school buses as well as for student and low income households... And now the FCC is stepping in to put a stop to that....
Excerpts:
FCC moves to end discounts for Wi-Fi hotspot lending and school bus connectivity
".... The 2-1 vote on hotspot lending reverses a Biden-era expansion of the discounts that allowed schools and libraries to use E-Rate funds for school bus Wi-eFi and hotspots so people could go online outside of schools and libraries.
The FCC said the agency “lacked legal authority for this expansion and that the agency failed to properly justify its decision” and said the program represented “unreasonable policy choices” and “invited waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Another 2-1 vote overturned the FCC’s 2023 decision to provide Wi-Fi on school buses. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr had said it amounted to “illegal” funding for “unsupervised screen time for young kids.”
..... it offered benefits to more than 12,500 libraries, nearly half of them in rural areas, and 106,000 schools. ...
The American Library Association said it was disappointed with Tuesday’s vote and “discouraged by the lack of due process, which left no opportunity for staff, patrons and library advocates to give input on the draft order.” .... “