Where for Art Though, oh Wi-Fi Hot Spot?

Are you planning to travel somewhere, and do you anticipate needing access to the Internet during that time? Most hotel properties now have Internet access for their guests, but many tend to charge an additional fee for this service. However, if you need to get on the Internet where wired service isn’t available, there are numerous options that provide this access on a wireless network called Wi-Fi.

Most of North Carolina’s public libraries have this service, so they are listed in the following links. But plenty of others are – consider the myriad coffee shops and McDonalds that now serve as community Wi-Fi hot spots, often at no cost.

Here are two sources to preview before you venture out into the land of “what-if-there-isn’t-connectivity.”

http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/

http://www.jiwire.com/browse-hotspot-all-united-states-us-north-carolina-nc-28.htm

These can be used as a resource for finding wireless access points around the world and here at home. As for North Carolina, there are over 1,800 hot spot locations listed on the first site, and around 1,700 listed on the second site.

A Wi-Fi hot spot is defined as any location in which 802.11 (wireless) technology exists and is also made available for use by consumers. In some cases, the wireless access is free, but many locales have charges for this service. But as ever, buyer (or user) beware. Enhanced security measures should always be used to protect your credentials, passwords and data during wireless Internet sessions.

Broadband Policy and Obama: What to Expect

The votes are in; now the work begins. What can we expect in terms of how broadband Internet will infuse and define the platforms, programs, policies of President-elect Obama’s first administration? How can we get involved? Fortunately, the answers to these questions can be found online where Obama is already on the record as supporting universal broadband access and its use in support of education, health care, business development and civic engagement in government at all levels. The following excerpts from various sources capture and highlight what we might expect from his administration related to broadband.

Some of Obama’s sector-specific goals for broadband include…

Business Development:
Obama recognizes the role that technology and broadband Internet needs play in business development.

Health Care:
A key feature of Obama’s plan to lower health care costs is the proposal to invest $10 billion each year over the next five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic information technology systems. This includes use of electronic health records to better coordinate care, measure quality and reduce medical errors.

Public Safety:
Obama is committed to improving the use of ICT to support public safety and improve response to emergencies and natural disasters. Critical to this is investment in the development and deployment of new technologies to promote interoperability, broadband access and more effective communications between public safety responders and their network systems.

Education:
Obama will push for funding to bring broadband access into all K-12 schools as a minimum technology operating platform.

Civic Engagement:
Building on the most technology-intensive campaign ever, the Obama administration envisions continued and expanded use of the Internet to encourage civic engagement.