Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
December 16th, 2020 

MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Josue Salmeron, Village Manager: jsalmeron@yso.com 
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(YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio)— The Village of Yellow Springs, along with sponsoring partners: Yellow Springs Schools, Yellow Springs Community Foundation & MVECA, is proud to present a new FREE Wi-Fi opportunity to the Village. The current internet infrastructure of the Village of Yellow Spring is outdated, underpowered and oversubscribed, which causes slow and often inconsistent connection. With the upgrade of a new fiber Wi-Fi connection, access as well as connection speeds will increase – both in the business district, as well as in specific areas throughout the Village where Wi-Fi was inaccessible. 
 
Due to COVID-19, the efforts to provide up-to-date health & community information has increased tremendously. Having access to consistently powered access points increases the awareness and safety of the entire community.  Under normal circumstances an Internet Connection is a must-have. During a pandemic, it is CRUICIAL for: School & Learning, Health Care, finding a Job & Telework, and Economic Recovery. 
 
With this new installation, we deliver 12 new industrial grade access points with speeds of 1.3 GPS, covering +20 acres of downtown. For community members or businesses owners who do not have – or have weak connectivity, this provides an opportunity to stay connected to vital sustaining resources and information.  This is a FREE resource to the public for a term of 1 year & the effectiveness of the project will be evaluated for 2nd phase roll out. The goal is to ensure that community members remain connected and all matters will be taken into consideration as the project moves forward.   

Our new Fiber access points can be seen throughout the downtown area & also provide high-speed connectivity up to 300 feet. We now begin analyzing specific factors to determine the possible need of extending coverage area beyond the current borders. 

The Village of Yellow Springs remains a welcoming community for all, and the addition of FREE PUBLIC Wi-Fi 24/7 365 days a year speaks strongly of our continued support towards that value. The overarching goal of the project is to build a fiber infrastructure, provide public Wi-Fi, stabilize community & economic delay, and build equity through closing the digital divide.  
 
“It’s detrimental to a democracy when you restrict the flow of information based upon social class,” Josue Salmerón, Village Manger.  


FREE YSO Wi-FI FAQ's