Free Internet Hotspots Available Through Heights Libraries

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — Internet access has been disproportionately distributed to rich Americans, leaving many poor Americans scrambling to catch-up to the digital age. The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Libraries are trying to help correct that problem. Free mobile internet hotspots are now available to Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library patrons. A hotspot device is a portable gateway to the internet, allowing up to 10 devices to connect to the internet.

The hotspots will connect devices like laptops, cell phones, and tablets to the internet. The devices can be checked out with a library card. The hotspots will work in any geographic area covered by the Sprint 3G or 4G LTE network.

To borrow a hotspot device, patrons will need to be 18 or older. Borrowers will need to sign a brief agreement document the first time they checkout a hotspot. Patrons can only checkout one hotspot at a time. Each device can be borrowed for up to two weeks and will be doled out on a first come, first serve basis. The devices cannot be renewed. The devices can be shut down if they are not returned on time, the library system says.

The devices are available for checkout at the Lee, Coventry, and Noble library branches.

“These devices essentially allow people to check out the Internet,” says Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin in a statement. “Let’s say you’re going camping and want to bring your laptop—a hotspot device will allow you to upload photos to Facebook or Instagram, surf the web, and watch movies. Or maybe you can’t afford Internet access at home and really need it for something, like a job interview via Skype—you can borrow a hotspot for free and get that.”

Each hotspot device comes with a kit. The kit contains the device, a USB cable, a wall charger, and instructions on how to use the device.

“These devices can bridge the digital divide for many of our customers,” says Levin. “With more and more companies, nonprofits, and government agencies assuming everyone has Internet access, these kinds of services can be a real life-line for people who just can’t afford that monthly Internet bill.”

According to a recent analysis by the Center for Public Integrity, some 3.1 percent of Cuyahoga County residents earning about $34,000 or less annually are without internet access. Much of that 3.1 percent can be found in Cleveland's eastern suburbs.

For more information on borrowing a mobile hotspot, visit www.heightslibrary.org.

Photo from CHUH Libraries