Broadband & Equity
Wireless Roaming Network Expands with Support for K–12 Schools at State and Regional Levels
Nonprofit Internet2
has been working with state and regional agencies to help accelerate
the spread of eduroam
into K–12 schools, libraries and museums, resulting in the
launch of eduroam Support Organizations.
eduroam is a worldwide WiFi roaming network developed for academic
and research institutions. The aim of the new eduroam Support
Organizations launched after an initial pilot involving 38 K–12
districts in Utah in 2020. Initial eduroam Support Organizations
include the Utah
Education and Telehealth Network (UETN), Network
Nebraska and Arizona's Sun
Corridor Network.
"Our Utah K-12 eduroam program made network access and education
resources readily available during the pandemic and showed off this
robust and sustainable platform in both urban and rural deployments,"
said Jim Stewart, chief technology officer for UETN, in a prepared
statement. "We've enjoyed a long collaboration with Internet2
and eduroam since this service was initially implemented by Utah
universities several years ago."
According to Internet2, "eduroam is a secure, world-wide
wireless roaming service developed for the international research and
education community and is available
in over 100 countries. In the US, more than 900 institutions have
deployed eduroam and have made the offering available to their staff,
students, faculty, and researchers. Unlike public WiFi, an eduroam
user can quickly and seamlessly authenticate to eduroam WiFi with a
single, secure credential. The eduroam user's device can
automatically connect when visiting eduroam-enabled schools,
libraries, museums, and other participating institutions. This is
particularly important for students who live in rural areas where
broadband access is limited, or who have inadequate or no access to
broadband at home."
Further
details can be found on incommon.org.