Originally published December 12 2005
Rome looking to create downtown WiFi network
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the city will pay for the network’s first year. Requests for proposals from service providers are expected soon, according to Rome’s Information Technology director.
Rome could take its next step in creating a downtown wireless Internet network before the end of the month.
Requests for proposals for an outdoor WiFi network are expected to hit service providers by Nov. 30, said Jason Lovett, Rome's Information Technology director.
"We're looking at outdoor broadband Internet access," Lovett said, when updating the city's Downtown Development Authority on the program.
"The goal is to have street-level access for free."
A $22,500 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, with another $22,500 from the city, will pay for the network's first year.
The network is to cover an area that runs east from the Oostanaula River to Third Street and north from First Avenue to Seventh Avenue.
"It'll be attractive to more meetings, more conferences," said Ann Arnold, DDA director.
Arnold added the network could be another selling point for a Business Improvement District --- a special downtown tax district that, before it can become a reality, requires the signatures of more than 51 percent of district property owners or signatures from those who own more than 51 percent of the assessed value of district properties.
The DDA currently has 49 percent of the eligible signatures, and they need 2 percent more to reach 51 percent.
A Web portal could be another method of spurring development, Lovett said.
When people connect to the Internet through the WiFi network, they'd be brought to a Web site featuring downtown businesses and advertisements.
Lovett hopes to have a draft RFP in a few days.
It'll then be fine-tuned during the next two weeks before it is issued to prospective service providers.
"There's a whole lot of interest in it from across the country," Lovett said.
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