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Wi-Fi for everyone is the goal of a new $50K fundraising campaign on P.E.I.

A new project is aiming to raise $50,000 to buy portable Wi-Fi hotspots that Islanders can borrow from the library in Charlottetown for free, letting them sign into the internet wirelessly from remote locations.

Islanders will be able to borrow portable Wi-Fi hotspots to connect to the internet

Sara Fraser · CBC News ·
Woman in black jacket with dark hair pulled into pony tail looks at the camera as she uses a desktop computer in a library.
'For the person or people who are not from here, they could actually have that Wi-Fi and contact their family around the world,' says Olivia Saing, seen using a computer at the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre on Wednesday. (Laura Meader/CBC)

A new project is aiming to raise $50,000 to buy portable Wi-Fi hotspots that Islanders can borrow from the library in Charlottetown for free.

A Wi-Fi hotspot allows people to connect to the internet wirelessly without using data, which can be expensive. 

"Wi-Fi hotspots are so important because connectivity now today is like a lifeline," said Nora McCarthy-Joyce, who is on the board of the new Charlottetown Learning Library Foundation. This is the organization's inaugural fundraiser. 

"It connects people to health resources, education resources, employment. People use the internet for entertainment, for homework." 

The campaign is about ensuring Islanders who are struggling financially can stay connected and have their needs met, McCarthy-Joyce said.

'Very helpful'

The current economic climate, with inflation driving up the cost of essentials like housing and groceries, means more families are feeling the pinch and looking to economize, she noted: "There are a lot of families who are struggling to balance those bills."

Woman with dark shoulder-length hair wearing a black sweater smiles at camera, with a busy library in the background.
Internet access is ‘as important as breathing these days,’ says Nora McCarthy-Joyce, a board member of the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre Foundation. (Laura Meader/CBC)

McCarthy-Joyce noted that a person who has a cellphone with limited data could use a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect to the internet instead. 

"I think for folks who are living in rural areas, who may not have transportation to come into the library and use a computer on site, this is a real nice way that they can kind of borrow the device and have internet available at home," she said.  

Olivia Saing, who was using a computer at the Charlottetown library Wednesday, thinks the hotspots are a good idea. 

Exterior of 5-story tall building with sign out front reading: Charlottetown Library Learning Centre.
The foundation is planning to make the portable Wi-Fi kits available at the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre as soon as they raise $50,000 in donations. (Laura Meader/CBC)

"Having a hotspot that you can borrow, I think that's very helpful for the students especially," said Saing, a recent graduate. 

McCarthy-Joyce said hotspot lending programs have been successful in other jurisdictions. 

Islanders are being asked to donate to the campaign online. Donations will go to purchase mobile hotspot devices, which each cost between $150 and $300, as well as to pay for monthly internet plans, at about $60 per month.

With files from Laura Meader

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