Mayor Michael Bloomberg commented:
“This neighborhood can now claim to be the first in Manhattan with totally free outdoor WiFi."Ben Fried, the Chief Information Officer at Google explained the network’s appeal:
“All you need is a laptop, or a smartphone, or other wireless-enabled device and a web browser to get online.”Google and the CIC were especially excited about the proletarian nature of the undertaking, emphasizing that the network was built to first serve the courtyards and streets surrounding the Fulton Houses, home to about 2,000.
“The service will not be initially at 15 Central Park West, or somewhere that you might expect WiFi to be provided,"Chelsea Improvement Company President Dan Biederman said. "Instead it’ll be in courtyards like these for New York City Housing Authority tenants.”
The WiFi network can be accessed between 15th and 19th Street, from Eighth to Tenth Avenue. About two blocks of High-Line will also be included. There are a number of other public spaces in the area where the WiFi reaches.
Representatives said that the cost of creating and installing the network to Google and the CIC amounted to about $115,000. In at least one case the WiFi can be entered in an indoor space, the Fulton Senior Center, where it was already being enjoyed.
“It’s something everybody uses, something everybody wants. And the fact that it’s free is a terrific bonus," said Mark Milder, a volunteer at the Fulton Senior Center.Next stop for free outdoor WiFi? The outdoor areas around 34th Street.
