How can we source funding to reduce the digital divide in Hamilton through free public wifi programs?
Project Description:
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the digital divide that many communities face as school, work, and socializing have become increasingly reliant on access to the internet. Even in urban neighbourhoods where there are plentiful options for connectivity, often the barrier that residents face is affordability of internet services as they must choose between food, rent, or internet access. In collaboration with the City of Hamilton’s Digital Office, the Beasley Neighbourhood Association is looking for partners to help develop the vision of a Hamilton with equitable access to the internet that builds off of the first part of this project which took place in Winter 2021. In particular, we are looking for students to conduct an environmental scan of funding mechanisms in use across North America (with a Canadian focus) for how municipalities fund free public wifi programs, often located in public places such as parks. The Digital Office at the City of Hamilton is exploring ways to fund public wifi and a comparison of leading cities’ funding mechanisms would provide helpful background information to support funding requests.
City Staff: Cyrus Tehrani, Chief Digital Officer and Director of Innovation, City of Hamilton
Jasleen Arora, Senior Project Manager, Digital Innovation, City of Hamilton
Community Partner: Matt Thompson, Beasley Neighbourhood Association Member
Faculty, Course & Students: Gloria Kim, Redeemer University, Core Capstone
Where will the work go and what will it be used for: Future projects to implement free Wi-Fi within the City of Hamilton
