Free Wi-Fi hubs coming to 14 Charlotte-area parks in digital equity push

Residents in the Charlotte region will soon have access to more than a dozen free Wi-Fi hubs as part of an effort to help bridge the digital divide.

Earlier this month, Mecklenburg County said it will install the technology at 14 local parks and recreation centers. Inside and outside the facilities, people will gain access to unlimited internet and cellular hot spots. Residents who live near the hubs will also be able to access the free service. There is no signup required.

The public Wi-Fi is funded with $1.3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Mecklenburg County said. The package, totaling $1.9 trillion, was signed by President Joe Biden that year to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic and address economic inequalities.

The county's Wi-Fi project has already commenced and is expected to wrap up by January 2025.

The 14 locations are:

Mecklenburg County told CBJ the locations sit within what it identifies as "priority communities."

Those areas were included in the organization's 2021 MeckPlaybook master plan as places that need investment and intervention. The county said those local communities typically see higher rates of renters, incomes below the poverty line, more youth under the age of 18, more seniors over the age of 65, limited access to cars and greater proportions of minority communities. That's when compared to Mecklenburg at large.

The neighborhoods are also more likely to be poorly affected by public health emergencies, natural disasters and economic downturns.

"By prioritizing reinvestment in existing neighborhood parks within priority communities, the county is taking the idea of equity and applying it to how it acts and invests," the county added.