Google announced a USD one million donation for an innovative library program lending Wi-Fi devices to New Yorkers to use at home.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that the Library Hotspot program gives families, many lacking broadband access, the opportunity to borrow free Wi-Fi devices from their local libraries.
The program was successfully piloted by The New York Public Library over the summer, when families at four branches in the Bronx and Staten Island were able to borrow devices for months at a time.
Google's donation, along with other contributions will allow the program to expand this fall to all three library systems, including Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Library, he added.
The goal is to offer about 10,000 families Wi-Fi devices helping to close the digital divide in the City.