City of Santa Maria pushes for free public-accessible Wi-Fi

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The City of Santa Maria could be getting free public Wi-Fi.

These days the internet is considered an essential part of our daily life.

" …  I think Wi-Fi it should be available to everyone especially kids we’re
having to do schoolwork at home," said resident Michelle Chisum of Santa Maria.

So Santa Maria City Council is considering to spend $1.1 million toward adding free Wi-Fi.

" … If approved this would go toward expanding the cities existing fiber
optic net work into other facilities and parks," said spokesperson Mark van de Kamp of the City of Santa Maria.

City leaders say the goal is to provide internet access to low income
families in selected locations.

" … such as homework or even accessing other online services," said van de Kamp.

The city says the need for Internet access has never been more apparent
than in the last year and a half.

" … I think it’s very important … again for kids that had to stay home and do
schoolwork … for those that it wasn’t available … especially the low income
areas … those kids could be at a disadvantage from not being able to access
the computers," said Chisum.

The city is still working to decide which locations will be eligible for
the project.

" … depending on the amount that is allocated by the city council … we will then
have a budget ... and we can continue to identify the facilities and the parks
that would be suitable," said van de Kamp.

The Wi-Fi will also serve a secondary purpose.

It would to provide Wi-Fi to City personnel conducting business and providing city services.

Based on the documentation provided by HUD, this activity is eligible if the primary use of the Wi-Fi is to benefit low to moderate-income people.

According to HUD and census information, Santa Maria has 12 Census Tracts that fall into the Low- to Moderate- income bracket.

These 12 tracts collectively make up 74 percent of the City's population.

Using survey data from The Graduate School andUniversity Center of the City University of New York's Hard to Count Maps, staff estimates more than 20 percent of those living in these low to moderate-income census tracts
do not have internet or dialup access.

The Federal Government's Emergency Broadband Benefit Program provides a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households.

If you are interested in the program, you can get more information at: https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit.