Meta Mesh receives $1.4M to expand no-cost internet access across southwest Pennsylvania

On Monday, non-profit wireless internet service provider Meta Mesh Wireless Communications (MMWC) announced it had received $1.4 million in financial commitments to expand its operations.

MMWC receives $1.13 million from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation for its wireless internet service initiative, Every1online, which provides internet access to communities in need throughout southwest Pennsylvania. The organization also received contributions from the Richard King Mellon Foundation ($250,000) and the Hopper Dean Foundation ($51,125).

The organization said it will begin its expansion of pilot programs in New Kensington and Wilkinsburg and will further expand the Every1online network to at least 11 communities in and around Allegheny County over the next year. The communities will be determined based on the level of need, MMWC said.

Every1online has connected over 100 people in Homewood and Coraopolis to no-cost in-home Wi-Fi and public access points, the company said. The additional funding commitment exemplifies the regional support for bridging the digital divide throughout the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, the organization said.

“Internet access is no longer a luxury,” Samantha Garfinkel, Executive Director of MMWC, said. “Excessive cost or an outright lack of reliable Wi-Fi prevents too many families from accessing essential services and fully participating in educational instruction and other parts of modern life. Our organization helps community anchor institutions reach under-served homes and bolster participants’ quality of life – whether it’s libraries bringing baseline connectivity to all, or previously unconnected households whose access is now underwritten by a local school district.”