The City of Maywood, a small municipality located 7 miles Southeast of Downtown Los Angeles, is faced with a growing digital divide. Of its 55,000 residents the mean income is $35,000 per household.
Many of Maywood's residents cannot afford broadband access or computers. As part of Mayor Thomas Martin's plan to empower its' citizens with equal access to technology and information, the City has initiated plans to open a computer lab equipped with 35 computers for city resident use and training.
"It's critical for our city leadership to provide Internet access as a basis for creating equal opportunity for the citizens of our community," said Mayor Thomas Martin. "In a world that is becoming increasingly more connected to the Internet, we really wanted to do all we can to provide our community with the same opportunities that more affluent cities have access to."
The network will target efforts towards building economic development for the city by designing network coverage around the business districts in addition to the city's recreational facilities. Based upon community feedback and usage results, the city has the option to expand the network to cover the entire city.
