Photo by Daniel Reidel

It seems like at least one D.C. councilmember heard sports mogul Ted Leonsis’ call for free District-wide wi-fi. At-Large Councilmember Vincent Orange introduced a bill yesterday that would create a taskforce to explore the possibility of the District sponsoring free wireless internet across the city.

This type of broad access would benefit the District by “promoting economic development, stimulating innovation, better educating low income students, improving the quality and efficiency of District services, and making the District an even more tourist-friendly destination,” Councilmember Orange said in a release.

The taskforce established by the “WiFi Task Force Act of 2016” would determine the best path to free internet by finding the most efficient construction and operation routes to host a citywide network. It will also explore and report on the feasibility of using government resources to get the service running.

The bill was co-sponsored by At-Large Councilmembers David Grosso and Anita Bonds, as well as Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May.

Cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston offer free wireless internet at a number of hotspots. Adding D.C. to that list would keep the nation’s capitol competitive amongst major metro areas, Councilmember Orange said.

In looking at issues closer to home, Orange said the service could also help eliminate the digital divide for residents who need the resource to search for employment opportunities and further their education.

In the meantime though, the digital inclusion initiative Connect.DC relaunched its Mobile Tech Lab last November to help bridge the divide for children and adults in Wards 5, 7, and 8. And couple of other kids may benefit from the dependable wi-fi system, too, as Michelle Obama told CBS that her girls are sometimes irritated by the White House’s sketchy internet connection.