“Newsday covers”:1 the NYC Parks Department plan for Wi-Fi in Central Park. Interestingly, they also publish cost numbers for running Bryant Park:
bq. *NYC unplugged: Parks going wireless*
bq. BY MELANIE LEFKOWITZ
Newsday Staff Writer
bq. For nearly 150 years, Central Park has been an urban oasis, a place where harried denizens of the concrete jungle can breathe fresh air, feel grass under their feet, while away an afternoon in the leafy shade.
bq. Starting later this month, they’ll also be able to check their e-mail.
bq. Central Park will be the first of 10 parks that the city parks department plans to make wireless-accessible this summer. Another 10 small parks, mostly run by nonprofit partnerships, already offer wireless (also known as Wi-Fi, short for Wireless Fidelity), which allows enabled computer users to surf the Web without plugging in. But it’s the introduction of the Internet to the city’s most famous and historic outdoor playground that seems to signal a new era.
bq. “The park’s adapted to the world as it adapts, and we’ve kept as much of the history and historic elements as possible, but of course the park’s meant for everyone to enjoy,” said Jennifer Pucci, a spokeswoman for the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages the park. “And we feel that the Wi-Fi is going to be no different from a pen and paper.”
bq. Though its rolling lawns and gracious landscapes are rooted in the 19th century, Central Park is no stranger to the 21st. Power-walkers punch text into their BlackBerries as they round the curving paths. Mothers chat into cell phone headsets as they wheel their strollers toward playgrounds. And now, multitaskers seeking to enjoy nature more efficiently will have another tool at their disposal.
bq. …
bq. “Especially in New York City, parks are the most public places for gathering, and they really, over their history, have been viewed and used as community centers and as cultural centers,” said Dana Spiegel, executive director of NYCWireless, a nonprofit group that has helped set up the 10 parks that are already wireless-accessible but is not involved in the Central Park project. “So Wi-Fi is really an extension of that. Just like you have trees and benches and grass, we view Wi-Fi as an amenity that is increasingly important for everyday life.”
bq. …
bq. WiFi Salon, the contractor doing the installation, has agreed to absorb the costs but may recoup some of their investment through corporate sponsorships. In Bryant Park, where corporate sponsors fund the service, setup cost about $18,000 and the monthly fees run about $1,400, according to the Bryant Park Restoration Corp.
bq. …
[1]http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nywifi034805398jul03,0,343914.story
Filed under: Interview, New York City, News, NYCwireless
