Birmingham City Council has been granted £1.5 million to improve the city’s wireless network as it looks to intervene in the battle against “digital exclusion”, reports birminghammail.co.uk.
Local officials have grown worried about the quality of internet access available to residents and have turned their attentions to making what they describe as “essential” improvements.
Birminghampost.co.uk says the plans will include the delivery of Wi-Fi hotspots at more than 150 public buildings across the city. The final list of beneficiaries is likely to include frequently-used sites like sports arenas, community centres and libraries as well as key tourist attractions such as markets and museums.
It’s thought 152 buildings have been included in the initial proposal, which will be reviewed by Service Birmingham – a partnership between Birmingham City Council and professional services firm Capita.
Councillor James McKay believes the “simple measure” to improve Wi-Fi around Birmingham will have a hugely positive impact and even backed it to help more residents find work.
He commented: “It will remove the barriers that prevent people from seeking job opportunities, enable easier access to education and training information and make it as simple as possible to interact with public services through the wide range of self-serve options which are quickly becoming the norm.”
