The City of Binghamton launched Binghamton Wi-Fi on March 6, providing free wireless Internet to one square mile of the Downtown area.
“Binghamton Wi-Fi is another step forward in the City’s efforts to renew the Downtown core, and I applaud my staff and our community partners for their collaborative efforts,” Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan said.
According to Ryan, the project is important for the City because of its growing professional community.
“Wireless Internet capabilities are important for many of those who live, study and work Downtown — including entrepreneurs, students and artists,” he said. “The Wi-Fi hotspot adds greater attraction to a growing, vital urban core.”
The network was made possible through a partnership with Plexicomm, a Web hosting company. While a state grant will cover half the operating costs for the first year, the Binghamton Local Development Corporation has donated $10,000 to the cause. Selling advertisement will cover the rest of the costs.
Local businesses, residents and students — even visitors — will be able to access the Internet free of charge. The only requirement is that users complete a sign-up page and accept the User Agreement. After doing so, users will view two sponsor pages before being directed to the Binghamton Wi-Fi home page.
“In using the service, there is an agreement that must be recognized,” said Andrew Block, director of Community Relations. “And while there is no filter what can be accessed, there will be periodic checks of what is accessed to ensure that user conduct is in accordance with the User Agreement.”
“Violations will be dealt with on a case-to-case basis,” Block added.
To bring the wireless service inside, residents and business owners can purchase a repeater, an electronic device which receives a signal and retransmits it at a higher level and higher power onto the other side of an obstruction. The instruments can be purchased through the City of Binghamton’s customer support service for $199, and users will be billed $10 each month.
“Binghamton Wi-Fi is helping the City bridge the ‘digital divide,’ and will lead to more Downtown activity by all sectors of our community,” said City Council member Lea Webb of the fourth district. “I look forward to seeing people logging onto the Internet all around the Downtown area.”
For more information, visit cityofbinghamton.com. Users can reach customer support by phone at (607) 821-4956 or via e-mail at support@binghamtonwifi.com.