Meta Mesh Wireless Communities, a nonprofit wireless internet service provider operating in southwestern Pennsylvania, announced it received $1.4 million from local foundations to expand its capabilities in the region. The organization provides no-cost internet service to qualifying homes, businesses and organizations that are in its coverage area.
The Henry L. Hillman Foundation sponsored the majority of the funding award, contributing $1.13 million to the organization. The Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Hopper-Dean Foundation contributed $250,000 and $51,125, respectively.
With the new funds, Bakery Square-based Meta Mesh said it plans to expand its Every1online network to 11 new communities in and around Allegheny County over the course of 2022. It's currently running the network in limited capacities in New Kensington and Wilkinsburg while it is fully operational in Homewood and Coraopolis, where it brings free internet to over 100 people.
Meta Mesh employs four workers currently and is looking to hire a field technician and a business development manager following the new funding. Throughout the year, it plans to add up to three other field technician roles.
"It means so much that we have this major investment from several foundations that are forward-looking, that are interested in how we can expand technology accessibility for everybody in our society," Samantha Garfinkel, executive director of Meta Mesh, said. "This is like the seal of approval that we've done what we can to prove this is possible and now we have the funds to basically fully implement. There will still be a lot to prove as we go along, but this gives us the green light to go."
The organization aims to provide internet speeds of around 50 megabits per second download and 25 megabits per second upload. There are no socioeconomic requirements to obtain the free internet service, though technical line-of-sight limitations may exist for some in an area where the service is being provided.
"It's not a revolutionary idea, there are groups across the country that are trying to abide with technology or perhaps more community-focused ideologies, there are some nonprofit internet service providers across the country but not many," Garfinkel said. "When we said we were going to do this, we got a lot of attention, a lot of national onlookers, legislations, vendors who are looking basically to see if a nonprofit approach to internet services is not only accessible and viable but also replicable because we want this model to be implemented in every area that has the ability to do so."
Meta Mesh said it has partnered with Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University and community organizations to identify neighborhoods that could benefit most from the no-cost internet service.
