Land O’Lakes offering free Wi-Fi to rural communities. Will other companies follow?

Arden Hills (MN) member-owned agricultural cooperative Land O'Lakes has started offering free Wi-Fi to various rural communities across the country that might not otherwise have access. It’s an initiative Land O’Lakes has been talking about for awhile, according to Chief Technology Officer Teddy Bekele. And with everyone shifting to life online during the COVID-19 crisis, the digital divide in rural communities has been further exacerbated. “We decided we needed to do something immediately and one of the easiest steps we could take was to turn the guest Wi-Fi on at our locations so people could come to the parking lot and use it there,” Bekele said. “We have also encouraged a lot of our ag retailers to do the same.” Land O’Lakes and the rest of its network is now offering free Wi-Fi at about 120 locations spanning 14 states. That number will likely increase in the coming weeks.