Old Town Alexandria yesterday made its mark for something other than its quaint shops, maritime history and upscale restaurants.
It's now a place to get free wireless Internet service.
For the next year, anyone with a wireless device can plop down on Old Town's brick sidewalks, boot up and access the Internet at no charge. During a ceremony in Market Square outside City Hall, officials launched "Wireless Alexandria," a yearlong experiment aimed at bolstering tourism, testing the use of wireless devices for municipal operations and touting the historic city as a modern high-tech hub. The city became the first in the region to offer a free Internet hot spot.
"Rarely do we have the opportunity to let the public use the same equipment we will be testing for government use," Mayor William Euille said. "We hope that this cutting-edge service will attract people to Alexandria while helping them access all the Internet has to offer."
Officials said the program will help the government run more efficiently. For example, he said sensors installed in trash cans will let officials know, via the Internet, when the buckets need emptying.
The project covers the heart of Old Town, extending eight blocks from Washington Street to the Potomac River waterfront. The area covers two of the city's most popular gathering spots, Market Square and the City Marina.
The service is designed for outdoor use, aimed at outdoor-cafe patrons or people who prefer parks to workstations.
Some indoor users, however, may be able to connect to the system. City officials said the service is not intended to compete with commercially available Internet service or replace existing home or business Internet access.
For one thing, the Old Town network is not secure, meaning sensitive personal or financial information sent across it will not be encrypted, and should not be used for purposes such as banking.
"Our project is very narrowly tailored to serve a unique outdoor area of our city," said Craig Fifer, the city's e-government manager. "Wireless Alexandria has virtually no impact on commercial Internet service providers."
Wireless Alexandria can be accessed by anyone using a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or personal digital assistant. Wi-Fi devices can connect to the Internet wirelessly, without cords, cables or special software. Many new laptops and PDAs come standard with Wi-Fi capability. Laptops and some PDAs without the feature can be upgraded inexpensively.
The city spent about $14,000 for equipment and $650 a month for required Internet bandwidth. The project is being funded by Alexandria's Information Technology Plan, which is part of the city's capital-improvement program.
Autor: Paul Bradley
Quelle: Richmond Times Dispatch, 03.08.2005
