The San Benito County Free Library has entered into a four-year contract to bring high-speed computer networking to the Fifth Street facility, improving connection speeds that for the past decade have been "akin to dial-up."
"This is a very exciting step that we could take at a nominal cost for our county," said Librarian Nora Conte. The expanded broadband project will cost $19,400 over the next year to implement, but the county will be reimbursed for all but $2,140 of that cost. After that, the one gigabyte Internet will cost the county $145 per month, up from the current $69.99 per month charge for what Conte called "a very slow Internet connection" with downtimes that impede "access to information and learning opportunities for the public."
Conte called the library a "great equalizer" that allows members of the community access to a faster Internet that will open up options for research, study and career enhancement.
Mary Schneider, president of Friends of the Library, said the improved broadband "will make use of the library less frustrating" for staff and patrons. "Having more Internet services at a faster speed would help promote the positive experience at the library. The upgrade project was unaimously approved by supervisors.