The Washtenaw County Broadband Task Force is in the process of installing seven cellular hotspots in the county to provide better internet connection to local rural residents during COVID-19.
The hotspots will benefit residents in townships like Augusta, Scio, and Lodi, who have poor or no broadband service at home. The hotspots will be available at township halls that previously did not have public WiFi access available from their parking lots. Barbara Fuller is the chair of the task force and says, now more than ever, residents need more broadband service because they’re either working from home or have children who are learning through a virtual model.
Barbara Fuller: And it’s because of the pandemic, one of the task force members said, "We have to do something. There has to be something immediate we can do to help."
Prior to the pandemic, the task force was already working on a larger project to help improve broadband service in the county, but that’s still in the planning stages.
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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu