Mountain View Library May Shut Off Google's Free Wi-Fi Service
MOUNTAIN VIEW (KCBS) — The City of Mountain View may shut off Google's free Wi-Fi internet service at the public library, as complaints about slow speeds and reliability mount.
Signs that read "Google Wi-Fi is not working" have been posted at the facility. "It just got slower and slower and now it's almost stopped," said Roy Wellman, who first noticed problems with the free service back in January.
Google's Free Wifi In Mountain View So Slow, Public Library Considers Turning It Off
Paul Sims, the library services manager, said the problem is likely a simply one.
"We really do need to provide, in the library especially, a reliable Wi-Fi network. The customers in the community are using a lot more bandwidth intensive resources," Sims said.
Users watching Netflix and other streaming video sites could be part of the reason for the slow speeds.
Meanwhile, the city plans to activate its own Wi-Fi service next month. The total infrastructure cost is expected to be $130,000 for the network.
As of Monday, Google did not respond to KCBS' request for comment on this story.
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