The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have committed nearly $3.4 million in grants to improve Internet connections for libraries in five states.
Nationally, libraries report that demand for high-speed Internet access is growing faster than their ability to provide increased bandwidth. An American Library Association study found that 60 percent of all libraries say their current Internet speed is insufficient.
In addition to the grants, the is also partnering with 14 states to help public libraries compete for federal broadband stimulus funds.
State libraries in Arkansas ($735,207), Kansas ($363,099), Massachusetts ($367,789), New York ($947,517), and Virginia ($977,468) received foundation funds to develop statewide plans to improve Internet connections in local libraries.
Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, and Washington will participate in the foundation’s new Opportunity Online broadband grant program, which will help libraries develop proposals for federal broadband stimulus funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.
“Federal, state, and local government investments in connecting libraries to broadband are important steps toward realizing the vision of universal broadband access,” said Jill Nishi, deputy director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Libraries program.
“When libraries have access to broadband, they can effectively deliver critical educational, employment, and government services for residents that lack Internet access elsewhere. As community anchor institutions, libraries can also help drive local broadband adoption.”
About 40 percent of Americans don’t have high-speed Internet access at home and the public library is often the only provider of free Internet access available to residents, according to the foundation.
The five states receiving the grants to implement local broadband improvement plans have partnered with the foundation since early 2009. Arkansas, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York and Virginia were selected to receive the foundation grants because they have a high number of libraries without high-speed Internet access.
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