As a bedroom exurb of Silicon Valley, Hollister does not seem at
first glance like the most obvious choice for free wireless
Internet access to gain a foothold. But with one minor caveat we
are excited to see it happening and hope it will continue.
As a bedroom exurb of Silicon Valley, Hollister does not seem at first glance like the most obvious choice for free wireless Internet access to gain a foothold. But with one minor caveat we are excited to see it happening and hope it will continue.
Public WiFi Project, a Virginia-based firm, is using a for-profit, advertising-driven model to bring wireless Internet access to any downtown business that wants it and already has regular Internet access.
The firm provides a “router” – a limited-range transmitter that turns the location into a “hotspot.” That makes it possible for anyone with a laptop computer and wireless capability, something virtually all new laptops made today possess, to access the Internet simply by turning on the machine and opening its browser.
It’s like a magic trick – as the radio must have seemed to people in the 1920s.
It is paid for by the sale of banner ads that appear at the top of the screen when the user’s home page comes on the screen. There is no cost to the business or the customer.
Currently two locations on San Benito Street downtown have signed on: Roxy’s cafe and the Main Street Bistro. We encourage other companies to call the Downtown Association, which is spearheading the drive, and join the effort.
Here’s the caveat.
It is possible that the free access could result in fewer users signing up for cable connections, which is one way people access the Internet. The city gets a fee for every such connection, and should keep an eye on cable access to see if free WiFi is affecting that revenue. If so, a tax on the free WiFi connection may be necessary to make up the difference.
But that is not to say we want to discourage this project from going forward. The availability of free hotspot installation could serve as a real incentive for bringing new businesses downtown, especially the kind that bring needed foot traffic to the area, like cafes and restaurants.
Other communities are having the service provided, such as San Francisco, Philadelphia and Mountain View. But few as small as Hollister have been offered the service. It must also be remembered that this is a two-way street, and that Hollister is also providing a revenue source to Public WiFi Project.
But with Internet access going the way of free commercial television, it is good to see the service coming so soon to Hollister.
