Low-tech edition (About)
WIFI COMIING TO CITY CENTER
Council OKs wireless access to Net in attempt to lure more laptop users to area coffee shops, parks
Friday, April 22, 2005
By TOBIAS YOUNG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Petaluma is going wireless in hopes of bringing more laptop users into downtown coffee shops and parks.
On a unanimous vote, the City Council authorized a Santa Rosa Internet service provider to turn much of downtown into a "WiFi" hot spot, where people can access the Internet any time of the day without a physical connection.
"Hopefully it will bring more people downtown," said Rudolph Rentzel, a Petaluma resident who told the council that he likes the 40-plus free hot spots he's seen in San Francisco.
"I'm surprised it hasn't spread up here yet, but maybe this will be a start."
Internet use under the Petaluma pilot project won't be free and will be limited to about half the downtown.
Sonic.net customers will be able to use the hot spot for free, but others must pay $3.50 for use over a 24-hour period.
The 12-month pilot project was free to the city, so no bids were required from competing Internet service provider companies, city officials said.
Matt Kirk, Sonic.net's business development manager, wasn't at the council meeting Monday. But he said the company has approached all the cities in Sonoma County with the same offer and has interest from Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.
Petaluma would be the first to come on line, in roughly four to six weeks, Kirk said.
He said he expects the service to be popular.
"I think there's a big draw to get out of the office, get out of the house, and take advantage of the technology that allows you to spend some time in the coffee shop and continue to be productive," Kirk said.
The Internet connection may be even more useful to travelers who don't have access to a regular connection, to boaters moored at the docks in the Petaluma Turning Basin and to people sitting on the benches of Walnut Park or other public places, city officials said.
As an incentive, the company will pay Petaluma 5 percent of its revenue from customers who pay the 24-hour fee to use the hot spot. Sonic.net also will give subscriptions at no charge for city business.
"I think this is a real important opportunity for us," said Councilman Keith Canevaro, adding that he hopes the city will earn some revenue from the use of the service.
Councilwoman Pam Torliatt supported the pilot project, but wants assurances the devices wouldn't cause harm or blight to the downtown that the city has spent millions sprucing up.
The wireless connection under the best condition can offer Internet speeds faster than many regular high-speed connections, Kirk said.
The hot spot will be created by mounting five small telecommunication panels with 10-inch antennas to the top of traffic signals and street lights as well as the new Basin Street Landing building.
The equipment, which costs $3,000 to $5,000, will give line-of-sight access to businesses along a swath of Petaluma Boulevard from the Golden Concourse to F Street, Kirk said.
If users are close enough to the equipment, it is reliable through the walls of buildings, he said. The service may be expanded if the city chooses and there is enough demand, Kirk said.
Sonic.net is a 10-year-old privately held company with about 34,000 customers in Sonoma County and the Bay Area and almost 70 employees, Kirk said.
The company has about 100 wireless hot spots throughout the county, but those are smaller units that don't have the range of the devices going downtown, Kirk said.
Typically those hot spots are set up in a customer's home or offered by coffee shops that share the profits for offering the service to their customers, he said.
He said he eventually expects people around the country to be able to access the Internet with a wireless connection from almost anywhere.
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