More free WiFi hotspots have been installed in the parking lots of area schools, thanks to a partnership between Clackamas County and the Canby School District.
The district started last month, with an ambitious project that refocused existing WiFi signals from Canby High School classrooms into its largest parking lot. The county got involved a couple of weeks later, announcing plans to bring free wireless internet to the parking lots at Carus Elementary and Ninety-One School.
All three campuses have since come online, along with two others: Trost Elementary School and Eccles Elementary School in Canby.
There are signs at each location that show the exact areas that have service (each hotspot has a range of about 200 feet, explain how to connect and share tips for how to get the best service. No passwords will be needed at any of the hotspots. More information available online here.
The county’s interest in the project was to bring reliable internet access to those who need it while the stay-home orders are in effect — particularly in rural and underserved parts of the county.
Other hotspots that have been created outside of Canby include Welches School in Welches, Firwood Elementary in Sandy and Boring Middle School in Boring, with other sites to be added later.
This initiative is part of the Clackamas Broadband Exchange program, which provides high-speed fiber broadband service to Clackamas County. The county is also working in conjunction with different internet service providers, or ISPs, to achieve connectivity at each spot.