Los Angeles County puts wi-fi on buses

Los Angeles County is equipping 150 buses with wi-fi capability, the latest local authority to implement the common-sense digital inclusion initiative. The wi-fi connection will provide 4G LTE capabilities for communication and Internet browsing, but will not support high-definition video streaming or large downloads. After the initial 150-bus pilot program, another 150 buses will be equipped with the technology, followed by the rest of the county’s bus fleet.

The innovative digital inclusion program is local progress in the midst of a much larger problem across California. A recent study by UC Berkeley’s Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society found that 42.8 percent of California households – approximately 4.1 million homes – in AT&T’s network do not have access to high-speed broadband from AT&T. The findings suggest AT&T’s fiber deployment will exacerbate the “digital divide” in California, where current disparities in Internet access persist along geographic, ethnic, and socio-economic lines.

Only 43 percent of rural households have access to reliable broadband Internet. Similarly, only 56 percent of Latinos and 66 percent of African-Americans have wireline broadband at home, compared to 83 percent of non-Hispanic whites in California.

Initiatives like this are necessary, but not sufficient. A wi-fi connection is good for the commute, though a wireless connection is no substitute for wired Internet. What’s needed is more investment in high-speed broadband to ensure universal access to modern communications networks.

Links:

Los Angeles County Begins Outfitting Buses with Free Wi-Fi (Government Technology, June 26, 2017)

AT&T fiber deployment in California leaves middle- and low-income communities behind (Speed Matters, Apr. 25, 2017)