The Toronto Public Library is partnering with Google Canada to offer free portable take-home WiFi devices at six of its branches in low-income neighbourhoods across the city.
The pilot project is being launched with 210 participants who will be able to borrow the hotspots for up to six months and can use up to 10 gigabytes of data per month.
The goal of the program is to provide free internet service to individuals and families who cannot afford a broadband connection at home.
“It is absolutely necessary to help provide the hand up that some people need in order to make sure they have every opportunity to show what they can do,” Mayor John Tory said during a press conference at the Thorncliffe Park branch Wednesday morning.
The Affordable Access Coalition, a group formed to lobby the government on affordable internet access, believes a broadband connection is a basic telecommunications service similar to having a home telephone line and that funding should be provided to make sure the service is available to everyone.
Tory said he hopes more partners, specifically telecommunications companies, can jump online to either expand the program or present something better.
“I’m going to be inviting those companies to see whether they would like to either create some type of similar program to the one Google has initiated here with the library system or perhaps even better join this program and make it bigger,” said Tory.
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