Volusia County library gets grant for 650 more Wi-Fi hot spots

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — There will soon be double the number of mobile Wi-Fi hot spot devices for Volusia County residents to check out from county libraries.

Library officials said the devices are useful for people who don’t have home internet service or have unstable signals.

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The library has 350 devices, and is about to add 650 more thanks to a grant. The Library Services Division recently landed a $385,785 grant from the Federal Communications Commission to pay for the additional devices, as well as the associated fees for unlimited data service for all 1,000 devices.

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On Tuesday, the County Council approved a budget resolution officially accounting for the grant money, which is coming from the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Connectivity Fund.

“In this age of technology, a lack of reliable internet service is a real disadvantage,” said Library Services Director Lucinda Colee in a statement. “The pandemic has made remote access to the internet even more critical. This grant will enable our libraries to help fill that need.”

READ: Volusia County looking to use technology to help Indian River Lagoon survive

Officials said the grant will pay for the hot spot service for a year. Library Services will need to apply again each year to seek continued reimbursement for the cost of the service.

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