Some Local Libraries Continue Hot Spot Lending Program as COVID-Era Funding Expires

HELENA, MT — After five years of state and federal funding, Montana’s hot spot lending program is transitioning to local control as libraries across the state decide whether to continue the service with their own resources.

The Montana State Library announced this week that its hot spot lending program, which provided mobile internet devices to library patrons, has concluded after exhausting federal COVID relief funds and state appropriations. The program peaked during the pandemic with over 1,000 hot spots circulating across 54 counties.

Now, 37 libraries in 33 counties are choosing to continue the service using local funding, demonstrating community-level commitment to addressing internet access gaps.

“My library board feels we need to offer hot spots to serve people who have a need for internet connectivity,” said Jacque Scott, Director of the Carnegie Public Library in Big Timber. “Our Friends of the Library is willing to fund this need for our community.”

The transition represents a shift from government-funded emergency response to locally-determined service priorities. During the pandemic, the State Library used federal COVID relief funds through the Institute of Museum and Library Services to purchase hot spots and cellular data plans for participating libraries.

According to the State Library, 49% of users reported using hot spots for work or school-related tasks, while others used them for telehealth appointments, government forms, and staying connected with family.

State Librarian Jennie Stapp noted the program’s unusual origins: “Just prior to the pandemic, the State Library was considering a pilot to study how libraries might lend mobile-wifi hot spots to those who lack internet access at home. With no time to study and an immediate need, the State Library, and libraries around Montana, launched head-long into a new service.”

“We were blown away when a minister told us she used hot spots to livestream funerals to family members who could not travel,” Stapp said. The program also facilitated some controversial uses during the pandemic. “We also know that hot spots were used at COVID-19 vaccination clinics where the internet was not available.”

The libraries continuing their hotspot lending program serve approximately 30,000 Montana households currently without internet service, according to the State Librarian. During the state-funded program, the Montana State Library tracked detailed usage statistics down to individual gigabytes consumed by each library, with Rosebud County Library leading at 266,164 GB since June 2020, followed by Missoula at 233,470 GB.

The decision to continue varies by community, with local library boards and Friends of the Library groups taking on the financial responsibility for equipment and cellular data plans.

Libraries that choose not to continue the program cited budget constraints and competing priorities for limited local funding. The shift from state to local funding follows a pattern seen with other pandemic-era programs as federal emergency funding expires and communities decide which services warrant continued local investment.