July 26th, 2013

By: Wei Zheng

Nobody can deny the fact that San Francisco is widely known as one of the most innovative areas around the country, but we have to admit that the innovations and successes have not been felt equally when it comes to digital service access. This problem has been a big concern for the government, leaving San Francisco’s digital divide much more visible.

Luckily, GOWEX, a technology company devoted to Wireless Smart City service, announced that they recently deployed 450 Wi-Fi smart zones in the streets of San Francisco. This strategic move will help the city bridge the digital divide and also increase citizen participation through online means.

GOWEX Launches Free Wi-Fi Service around San Francisco

Satisfied with great results in New York City, GOWEX is ready for the second round fire at another densely populated city – San Francisco. This time, the hi-tech company set up 450 Wi-Fi Smart Zones in San Francisco spreading free online service in such neighborhoods as Union Square, the Financial District, the Mission, Twin Peaks and the Marina, where both residents and visitors can greatly benefit from being connected.

All users will experience up to 1 Mb speed for data loading and use the function of offloading to help providers relieve their networks. The only step to access the service is downloading the free iOS or Android app.

The Demographic Data Shows We Still Have Work to Do to Bridge the Digital Divide

In June, a new broadband report released by the White House highlighted the digital divide, which is still on a long way from being bridged. According to this report, in spite of an increasing number of Internet access in households, visible gaps in c haven’t been eliminated.

For example, 93% of high-income households have adopted broadband Internet service compared to only 43% of low-income households. Similarly, households of those with a with a college degree had a broadband adoption rate of 88% compared to the 35% broadband adoption rate for those who did not graduate from high school.

Finding Solutions Toward Universal Internet Access

San Francisco has been making efforts to brainstorm new strategies and initiatives that can bridge the digital divide by expanding access to technology and encouraging more people to fight for equal information access rights. At the 2013 Mayor’s Innovation Summit, San Francisco Chief Information Officer Mac Touitou, added that closing the digital divide was one of the focal points to increase citizen engagement and any failed collaboration to make improve Internet access across the city would be San Francisco’s number 1 competitive threat.

It won’t be easy to ensure Universal Access, but every San Franciscan and visitor deserves online access equality. GOWEX made a great start toward bridging the digital divide and hopefully more talented techies and involved citizens will follow in GOWEX’s footsteps to improve the quality of everyone’s digital life.

Sign the Petition to Guarantee Universal Internet Access for All San Franciscans