This is outstanding! Way to go, VBDL! Congrats Dan.

Andrea Estelle, MLIS

Brighten the Corner Where You Are!

Cooperative Director ·

Southwest Michigan Library Cooperative

401 Dix Street, Otsego MI 49078

From: public-directors-smlc@googlegroups.com <public-directors-smlc@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Dan Hutchins
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2025 12:50 PM
To: MichLib-L <michlib-l@mcls.org>; SMLC Public Director's Listserv <public-directors-smlc@googlegroups.com>; SMLC Newsnotes Listserv <newsnote@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Van Buren District Library is Mobile Beacon's #1 User of Cellular Broadband Nationwide

Hi all,

I thought I would share that back in July Van Buren District Library received a phone call from Mobile Beacon, our mobile Internet hotspot provider. They called to inform us that of their 1,801 public library clients nationally, Van Buren District Library is their number one user of cellular broadband data! Honestly, I was astonished to hear this news. When we started our mobile Internet hotspot lending program with FCC Emergency Connectivity Funds back in 2022, we were simply attempting to add another offering to serve our community. It never, ever, occurred to me that VBDL could potentially become their top library consumer of broadband nationwide, especially given that Mobile Beacon has so many large, urban library systems as clients. In the first six months of 2025 alone VBDL patrons used 312 terabytes (TB) of data from our 420 mobile Internet hotspots (60 per branch), which is astounding to think about.

VBDL is a seven-branch system which serves a mostly rural area of southwest Michigan. In much of our service area broadband infrastructure just doesn’t exist. In addition, there are large pockets of poverty in our service area. For instance, Covert Township has a poverty rate of 25% and Decatur a poverty rate of 22%, so for many home broadband access isn’t affordable; VBDL is bridging the digital divide in a very tangible way.

Financially, what makes this feasible for VBDL is our relationship with Mobile Beacon. Mobile Beacon is a non-profit provider of cellular broadband whose mission is to serve other non-profits such as public libraries, the Red Cross, and the United Way, amongst others. Mobile Beacon offers filtering and the ability to deactivate overdue hotspots as well. Mobile Beacon charges $10 per month per device for unlimited, unthrottled data from the T-Mobile cellular network. My understanding is $40 per month is the commercial average charge from other providers for the same service. For our 420 hotspots at VBDL, the data usage costs $4,200 per month or $50,400 per year. Mobile Beacon also allows clients to bring their own devices, so if your library already owns hotspots, this could be either a large savings, or could allow your library to vastly increase the number of hotspots it offers in a way that still saves your library money or is perhaps cost-neutral. In addition, for libraries, they also offer seven free hotspots per year, per branch, so there’s another cost-effective way to potentially expand a current hotspot lending program.

I’m including VBDL’s press release and the data they shared with us for our recent application for the State Librarian’s Excellence Award. If anyone is interested, I would be happy to share contact information for Mobile Beacon upon request.

Dan Hutchins
Executive Director
Van Buren District Library
200 North Phelps Street
Decatur, MI 49045
dhutchins@vbdl.org
W: 269-423-4771

www.vbdl.org

Bangor – Bloomingdale – Covert – Decatur – Gobles – Lawrence - Mattawan

200 N. Phelps St., Decatur MI 49045
PHONE 269-423-4771/FAX 269-423-8373

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 17, 2025

For more information, contact Laura Dorgelo, 269.521.7601, ldorgelo@vbdl.org

****

Van Buren District Library’s Hotspot Program Transforms Digital Access for Rural Michigan Communities

XXXXXX

DECATUR, MI — The Van Buren District Library (VBDL) is closing the digital divide in southwest Michigan through its popular Mobile Internet Hotspot lending program in partnership with Mobile Beacon, a non-profit provider of cellular broadband Internet services.

Since launching in early 2022, the program has empowered library patrons across Van Buren County to access high-speed internet from home, school, or on the go, no matter where they live. In a rural region where broadband access is often unreliable or unavailable, this service has become a lifeline for many.

“Many of our residents are low-income and lack affordable broadband at home.” Daywi Cook, the Covert Township Supervisor comments, “The library's innovative mobile hotspot lending program -– one of the largest and most impactful in the nation — has been transformative.”

In just the first half of 2025, VBDL’s 420 hotspot devices provided patrons with over 312,000 gigabytes (GB) of data, which is 45 times the national average and nearly 100 times the median usage within Mobile Beacon’s network. This data is crucial for supporting remote learning, job hunting, telehealth, and everyday online needs. During the summer months alone (May through July), community members used more than 149,000 GB of data, a powerful indicator of how vital the program has become.

Mobile Beacon, headquartered in Johnston, Rhode Island provides affordable, reliable, high-speed internet access to schools, libraries, nonprofits, and healthcare organizations, enabling them to expand digital access and inclusion, and fostering stronger, more connected communities. The mission of Mobile Beacon is to power education through broadband.

“Van Buren District Library is the clear leader among our partners.” Mobile Beacon Director of Programs, Joe Gleason, notes. “Their program demonstrates what is possible when a library invests deeply in digital inclusion and puts equitable access at the center of its mission.”

Van Buren District Library’s Executive Director, Dan Hutchins, elaborated “when we started this program back in 2022, we were simply trying to serve the community. It never entered my mind that it was even possible a rural library system such as ours could exceed the data distribution of Mobile Beacon’s large, urban library clients; I’m astonished.”

Each hotspot device averages 109 GB per month, far surpassing national usage trends. The popularity and reach of the program earned VBDL recognition as Mobile Beacon’s top-performing library partner of 2025, outpacing more than 1,800 other libraries in the country that offer similar services.

“I am currently a single dad that relies on the internet for just about everything. We use it to watch movies, play games, work on homework, watch YouTube, videos and help with looking for work. Without this service, we would not be able to afford this basic necessity.” - David S., a VBDL patron.

The Van Buren District Library is headquartered in Decatur and serves Van Buren County, southwest MI from its seven locations in Bangor, Bloomingdale, Covert, Decatur, Gobles, Lawrence, and Mattawan.

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