Here's a simple way to bring connectivity to places that may be easy to reach but where affordability leaves a small proportion of society unconnected to the Internet. In fact, the idea was so simple and effective, it caught the attention of President Barack Obama.
The idea is to install Wi-Fi routers on school buses, and to use these buses as Wi-Fi Hotspots. The idea was implemented last year in the area of Salton Sea in Southern California and was recently reported in the Hechinger Report. According to Herchinger Report, the district started the Wi-Fi project with two school buses which are parked at night at the trailer park, allowing children in the vicinity to access Wi-Fi connectivity at night. Herchinger Report said that the Wi-Fi connectivity lasts as long as the batteries do and provide at least an hour of Internet connectivity to the children without Internet at home. Salton Sea is a former resort town 65 miles north of Mexican border where many homes still have no access to high-speed Internet, reported Herchinger. Hechinger Report says that studies are underway to implement the program on a mass scale, citing district officials who estimate it will cost about $290,000 for 90 buses to be equipped with the Wi-Fi capability.
