As Baltimore County continues to identify ways to assist residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski today announced new exterior Wi-Fi 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 Wi-Fi resources will hope 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 Wi-Fi capacity at 9 new library branch locations. Previously, the Towson branch already had external Wi-Fi capacity, bringing the total number of branches to 10. Residents can now access free Wi-Fi in the parking lots of 10 branch locations across the County:
• Catonsville Branch, 1100 Frederick Road, Catonsville, MD 21228
• Essex Branch, 1110 Eastern Boulevard, Essex, MD 21221
• Hereford Branch, 16940 York Road, Hereford, MD 21111
• Lansdowne Branch, 500 Third Avenue, Lansdowne, MD 21227
• North Point Branch, 1716 Merritt Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222
• Randallstown Branch, 8604 Liberty Road, Randallstown, MD 21133
• Rosedale Branch, 6105 Kenwood Avenue, Rosedale, MD 21237
• Towson Branch, 320 York Road, Towson, MD 21204
• White Marsh Branch, 8133 Sandpiper Circle, Baltimore, MD 21236
• Woodlawn Branch, 1811 Woodlawn Drive, Woodlawn, MD 21207
Residents will be required to remain 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.”
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.
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 Wi-Fi Hotspots: Any resident can now access hundreds of Comcast public Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the County. Locations available at: https://wifi.Xfinity.com
