The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has distributed over 3000 hotspots to approximately 220 public libraries for loan to library users.
MBLC has providing the hotspot devices and will cover the cost of the internet service / data plan through the end of September 2022. Libraries may elect to take over the ongoing costs when funding ends.
See which libraries are circulating hotspots
Getting Started
We have developed a quick start guide to help libraries identify the tasks needed to get their program up and running.
Borrower Policy / Agreement Template
We have simplified the borrower policy template and made it more readable.
The older template, which has more discussion, can be found here.
Promotion – Print Publications and Social Media
Let your library users know about the hotspots. The MBLC Awarehouse has posters and social media graphics that you can use and reuse. Contact our outreach coordinator, Matt Perry, if you have questions or specific requests.
Managing Hotspots with Dashboards
Libraries can manage their hotspots via email and phone messages to T-Mobile using the contact information below.
For more direct control, two dashboards are available:
The T-Mobile Portal manages the hotspot's cellular line service. T-Mobile can help with disabling content filtering and suspend an overdue hotspot.
The Pintrac MDM (Mobile Device Management) Portal manages the hotspot equipment itself by updating the configuration loaded on the device. Pintrac can manage the network name and password, and also suspend or restore an overdue hotspot.
See the Cheat Sheet for more details.
T-Mobile
The MBLC T-Mobile Billing Account Number (BAN) is: 973977587
Device Troubleshooting : 844-341-4834 (staff and patrons)
Replace lost/stolen/broken equipment : (Megan Stafford, T-Mobile Government Dedicated Expert) : 423-604-3219
Portal Assistance (portal itself not working): 800-307-0340
Pintrac MDM
Funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the hotspot lending program focuses on IMLS' primary goal for these funds, digital inclusion.