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Free public WiFi in BCPL parking lots
Ten participating Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) branches (including Catonsville) are now offering free wifi in their parking lots. Patrons must stay in their automobiles to observe social distancing guidelines. More Info.
FCC Affordable Connectivity Program
In addition, the FCC Affordable Connectivity Program helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more. You can learn more about the program by visiting: https://www.fcc.gov/acp.
ACP and Verizon Forward program
Whether you’re a new or existing customer, you can see if you qualify for the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and the Verizon Forward Program and experience all the perks of Verizon. More Info.
Enabling mobile hotspots and other resources for connectivity from providers:
Most carriers have a hotspot feature for a small fee that allows your cell phone to act as a wifi connection for your laptop that you can use, some are still offering that service for free, but others have discontinued that and are charging. Please follow these instructions for either Apple iOS or Android. There are also a number of other resources related to getting online:
- Comcast COVID-19 response: offers free WiFi for 2 months to low income families
- Charter Free Internet offer for 2 months
- AT&T COVID-19 response: Unlimited data to existing customers, and $10/month plans to low income families
- Verizon COVID-19 response: no special offers.
- Sprint COVID-19 response: Provides unlimited data to existing customers
- T-Mobile COVID-19 response: Unlimited data to existing customers
Utilizing UMBC wireless safely:
UMBC has made part of the Admin parking lot wifi-enabled; you can drive up and connect to the UMBC wireless networks from either the upper or lower parking deck, on the side closest to the admin circle.
Using eduroam wireless throughout the state:
UMBC is part of the eduroam wireless network which allows you to access wireless for free at various museums, universities and other venues. The same wifi network that we have at UMBC, if you have connected eduroam at UMBC, you can find the full list of locations at the US eduroam site. UMBC has instructions for connecting to eduroam available for all types of devices through the UMBC Eduroam FAQ
Testing Your Internet Speed
To get the best possible performance, you’ll want to make sure your internet speeds are sufficient for online learning. Test your internet speed by going to https://www.speedtest.net/.