Unleased Internet Connectivity for All: Heusenstamm's Progress on Building a Digital Infrastructure
Heusenstamm and Rembrucken to Get 14 Free Public Wi-Fi Hotspots
The city of Offenbach is taking a significant step towards digital inclusivity with the implementation of the "Public Wi-Fi for Heusenstamm" project. This initiative, financially supported by the state program "Digital Village Lime," is set to provide 14 free public Wi-Fi hotspots in Heusenstamm and Rembrucken by the end of 2023.
The digital access points, operating under the network name "Hessen WLAN," are designed to facilitate seamless digital connectivity for residents and visitors. These hotspots will be protected by various filter mechanisms to ensure a safe and family-friendly online environment, blocking any content with youth-endangering or questionable content.
The city council made the decision to embark on this project in September 2023. The technical implementation of the project is the responsibility of the city's public works department, while project coordination is handled by the municipal IT department and the digitalization department.
Each hotspot can be funded with 1,500 euros, and up to 40 hotspots per municipality can be funded through the "Digital Village Lime" program. By the end of the project, there will be a total of 40 hotspots at 18 locations in Heusenstamm and Rembrucken.
Users at these digital access points remain invisible to each other, maintaining privacy and anonymity. Moreover, no personal data is stored at these hotspots, ensuring user data security.
Subscribing to the city's free newsletter is a great way to stay updated on news from the city and district of Offenbach. The newsletter does not involve spam and offers valuable insights into the city's digital strategy, which heavily emphasises digital offers as a key part of its overall strategy.
For those interested in finding the locations of these digital access points, an interactive Wi-Fi map on heusenstammd.de provides an overview of all active and planned hotspots. More information about the newsletter and privacy policy can be found on the website.
Mayor Steffen Ball emphasised that this project is a strategic goal for digital participation in the city, aiming to make digital services more accessible and inclusive for all residents and visitors of Heusenstamm and Rembrucken.
The city's digitalization department and the IT department are responsible for coordinating the implementation of other technology, such as additional public Wi-Fi hotspots, to further boost digital inclusivity beyond the initial 14 hotspots. As the project progresses, the number of hotspots could potentially exceed the maximum 40 provided by the "Digital Village Lime" program.
