Nonprofit looking for New Kensington, Arnold residents who want free internet service

A nonprofit is offering free internet service for New Kensington and Arnold residents, but so far not many are signing up.

Meta Mesh Wireless Communities can take about 150 households in its one-year pilot providing free, wireless, high-speed internet service, but so far only 38 in New Kensington and Arnold have registered, said Meta Mesh development coordinator Sam Garfinkel.

“Not all of those will be able to receive coverage due to geographic restraints, so we have a lot of room left for new submissions,” Garfinkel said.

Based in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood, Meta Mesh is working with four partners — Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State New Kensington and the Keystone Initiative for Network-based Research — on the effort called “Every1online.”

With schoolchildren needing internet access to learn from home during the covid-19 pandemic, Every1online grew from an initial concept of residents sharing their internet with neighbors to providing households with their own access.

In addition to New Kensington and Arnold, the project is also available to residents of Coraopolis and Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. Residents in those areas have until Jan. 31 to sign up, with the service becoming active for users sometime in the first quarter of 2021.

Although the program is targeted to families in need with school-age children, it is available to anyone in the service areas with no requirements or restrictions, said Adam Longwill, executive director and founder of Meta Mesh.

“Everyone qualifies for it,” Longwill said. “We want to connect everyone.”

Anyone in the areas served can apply by filling out a form available online. Registrations can also be taken by phone at 412-223-4253. No payment or personal information is requested.

Despite disbelief and suspicion, Longwill promises there isn’t a catch.

“We don’t want to have consumers pay for internet access,” he said. “For the first year, they’re guaranteed not to pay for it.”

Instead of residents paying a monthly bill for internet service, Meta Mesh raises grant money and works with community groups, universities and school districts to cover the cost of services and get internet to those who need it.

“The old model of paying for service the traditional way has left a lot of people out,” Longwill said. “I think 2020 has shown that that’s always going to be the case if you keep doing it the same way.

“It might seem like it’s too good to be true, but we’re saying that it’s not. People should begin to expect new models of receiving services or new business models, new ways of doing things. The old ways are not working. We might be the first, but we won’t be the last.”

The Burrell-New Kensington Rotary Club gave $5,000, which will help pay for buying and installing equipment for New Kensington and Arnold residents.

“The covid-19 pandemic has shown all of us the importance of accessibility to the internet for youth and adults so that they can actively participate in schooling, as well as access digital services, tools and resources,” club President Corinne Coulson said.

The club is considering the long-term impact and sustainability of the project and staying involved past the first year.

“We certainly will remain involved in the program, and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on our area,” she said.

After residents register, Longwill said, Meta Mesh checks whether the wireless service reaches each home’s location. The project will provide and install the necessary equipment, which includes a small radio the size of a cellphone mounted on a small pole outside a house or apartment and running a cable to a Wi-Fi router.

“As long as there is power and you are within the area we can serve, you can get internet access,” he said.

As for how fast the service will be, Longwill said their goal is to provide speeds of 50 mbps download and 25 mbps upload, which he said would be enough for multiple family members to be using it at the same time.

Meta Mesh’s goal is to expand the program to more Western Pennsylvania communities.

“We’re moving really fast. A year ago, this idea didn’t exist,” Longwill said. “We’re going to learn by doing. We’re going to figure out what this forgotten population needs. We’re going to build our service around them and provide a safety net that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the country.”