- Dates
- 2006-04-28 – 2006-05-04
- Kind
- Infrastructure
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- technologyeducationcommunitypublic-servicecommunication
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
By April 2006, the Beaver Island District Library offered free wireless internet access for patrons, including users near the library parking area. Library staff corrected a forum participant’s attribution of the service to a Gates Foundation grant: the staff account says the grant funded computer equipment, while the library installed the Wi-Fi for patrons. After a temporary outage, the assistant librarian reported the Wi-Fi and public computers repaired and operating again on May 13.
Evidence limits
The library staff correction is the strongest source in the thread for the funding distinction, but this record does not include grant paperwork, installation records, or technical measurements beyond a user’s speed report.
Sources
- A user described using the library parking-area hotspot and reported connection speeds of roughly 60–100 KBps. Assistant librarian Phyllis Moore corrected the user's claim that the Gates Foundation grant funded Wi-Fi, stating that the grant funded a computer, monitor, and printer and that the library installed wireless access for patrons. Later replies confirm ongoing use. The thread does not preserve installation records, network specifications, or grant documents.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000590
- The assistant librarian announced that the library Wi-Fi and public computers had been repaired and were operating again. This first-party service update documents a temporary outage and restoration, but does not identify the fault, repair work, or technical configuration.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000601
- A contemporaneous visitor-information discussion identifies the District Library as offering free wireless access and describes Central Solutions as offering paid, pay-as-you-go wireless service with more limited reach beyond town. This is user-reported service availability in 2007, not a provider specification or proof of continuous coverage.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 00 · t000929
Added 9 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island District Library’s free public Wi-Fi is documented and its funding attribution corrected, 2006”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-district-library-free-wifi-2006/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Island Forum topic 590, "Beaver Island District Library FREE WI-FI Hot," April 28, 2006. (and 2 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-09. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
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