San Mateo County Works With Coastside Farm Workers Closing the Digital Divide and Connecting Students to Schools

PRESS RELEASE. As a result of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, 11/10/220.

At today’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the County’s Information Services Department announced the progress of an ambitious effort to connect students in rural communities and low-income households to their schools with high-speed internet access.

The County launched the “Public Internet Connectivity Pilot Project” after Shelter-In-Place orders closed schools to in-person learning. Many remote learners faced a challenge: They could not connect with their schools and teachers because they lacked high-speed internet connections.

Since the project launch this summer, the County has provided 275 portable mobile wireless hot spots for distance learning in the Ravenswood City School District and 50 hot spots in the La Honda-Pescadero School District.

Also on the coast, the County and schools are working together to place mobile wireless access units on ranches and farms to create “Learning Centers.” (Pescadero. Loma Mar and San Gregorio)

The County is also working to bolster public internet access points in Daly City, Brisbane, South San Francisco, Millbrae, San Mateo and Foster City, among other communities. Learn more about the County’s strategy to overcome the digital divide at https://www.smcgov.org/smc-public-wifi-project

Author: Coastside Buzz

Me