Baltimore County Announces Efforts to Expand Access to Internet Services During COVID-19 Pandemic

April 20, 2020

External WiFi Now Available at Nine New Library Branch Locations
 

As Baltimore County continues to identify ways to assist residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski today announced new exterior WiFi resources at Baltimore County Public Library branches to support students and other residents without high-speed internet access.

"This crisis has upended life in countless ways, and it requires us to find creative solutions to the challenges we face," Olszewski said. "We hope these new WiFi resources will help narrow the access gap as we continue to work around the clock to identify additional resources to support Baltimore County families during these trying times."

The County has installed external WiFi capacity at nine new library branch locations. Previously, the Towson branch already had external WiFi capacity, bringing the total number of branches to 10. Residents can now access free WiFi in the parking lots of 10 branch locations across the County:

  • Catonsville Branch, 1100 Frederick Road, Catonsville, Maryland 21228
  • Essex Branch, 1110 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, Maryland 21221
  • Hereford Branch, 16940 York Road, Hereford, Maryland 21111
  • Lansdowne Branch, 500 Third Avenue, Lansdowne, Maryland 21227
  • North Point Branch, 1716 Merritt Boulevard, Dundalk, Maryland 21222
  • Randallstown Branch, 8604 Liberty Road, Randallstown, Maryland 21133
  • Rosedale Branch, 6105 Kenwood Avenue, Rosedale, Maryland 21237
  • Towson Branch, 320 York Road, Towson, Maryland 21204
  • White Marsh Branch, 8133 Sandpiper Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21236
  • Woodlawn Branch, 1811 Woodlawn Drive, Woodlawn, Maryland 21207

Residents will be required to remain in their vehicles or otherwise adhere to all social distancing guidelines. These requirements will be strictly enforced.

"Access to the internet is critical, not just for work and homework, but also for our residents' personal lives: checking in on friends and families is important to everyone right now," said Baltimore County Public Library Director Paula Miller. "Our internet usage within our buildings is typically very high, so we know that there are many residents who may not have access at home. We are thrilled with this solution that enables us to utilize our parking lots to continue to provide internet service."

Public WiFi Locations Map

Residents can also visit the BaltCo Go-Online Map to find the closest available free internet service throughout the County. Users can search for locations closest to where they live.

Comcast Internet Resources

Additionally, in the interest of ensuring as many residents as possible have access to internet service, Baltimore County wants residents to know that Comcast has made a number of resources available in its service areas:

  • Free "Internet Essentials" Service: Low-income families who live in a Comcast service area can sign up for 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service if you apply by May 13, 2020. To sign up, applicants can simply visit www.internetessentials.com or by calling 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
  • Free Public WiFi Hotspots: Any resident can now access hundreds of Comcast public WiFi hotspots throughout the County. Locations available at: https://wifi.Xfinity.com

Baltimore County will continue to explore additional options to expand internet access across the County.

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