Microsoft looks to wire school buses

Microsoft is looking to turn ordinary school buses into internet-enabled hotspots, in an experiment that’s aimed at helping students in rural Michigan do their homework.

The company wants to use empty TV airwaves to beam high-speed internet signals to buses in Hillman, Mich., as they travel to and from school, according to regulatory filings submitted Wednesday to the Federal Communications Commission.

“The proposed deployment would help ... by providing high-speed wireless internet access on school buses as they complete their morning and afternoon routes,” the filing reads. “This will allow students without suitable connections at home to complete assignments that require broadband internet access while they are on their way to and from school.”

Microsoft needs special government permission for the demo, because it plans to operate wireless equipment at a power level that could otherwise interfere with other communications. But, it said, the equipment will shut off automatically if the buses stray outside of the designated test area.

Hillman is a community of about 700 people, according to census figures. Of the region’s three satellite internet providers, only one offers services that meet the federal definition of broadband. And cable internet is virtually nonexistent in the area.