A new public-private partnership aims to expand free Internet access as an economic development tool in downtown York.
Free wireless Internet is commonly available in airports, train stations and hotels, and now that some national restaurant chains have began to offer free connections, customers are beginning to expect the amenity in other retail locations said Blanda Nace, York County Economic Development Corporation redevelopment manager.
"Traditionally, economic development infrastructure focused on making sure sites had sewer, water, electric and gas, but broadband is now a utility too," Nace said.
To provide that utility, YCEDC has partnered with Y-Fi, the free wireless Internet network radiating outward from Central Market and established in 2009.
Y-FI founder Bob Mock always envisioned Y-FI as a free high-speed wireless Internet that would attract more businesses, make downtown more customer-friendly, and provide broadband as a public service to the York community in general, without any cost to taxpayers.
To create a "mesh network" like Y-FI, a handful of Internet users offer a slice of their own Internet bandwidth for the public good. Those connections - access points - are then bounced between nearby "repeaters" - router-like devices that carry the wireless signal around the area.
Currently, Y-FI is limited to a small downtown area, but now Mock hopes to enlist enough businesses and building owners to spread Y-FI throughout the downtown
business district and that is where YCEDC comes in.
"We are usually aware of what kind of economic development is taking place and where it is, and that is where we can help Y-FI," Nace said. "We have relationships with businesses and building owners and we can approach them about setting up access points."
The immediate focus would be establishing a stronger network of access points, Y-FI's "backbone," along the main thoroughfares of downtown York - Market and Philadelphia streets from Queen Street to Pershing Avenue, and the 200 block of George Street to Sovereign Bank Stadium, Mock said.
The free access obviously benefits people using laptops or iPads to work outside the office. But it can also be useful to those using smartphones to download or transmit a lot of data, Mock said. Many smartphones can switch from using their owner's monthly fee Internet connection to using whatever free connection might be available.
"When the original iPhones were sold, you were given "unlimited" data for your $30 a month, which really meant 5 gigabytes," Mock said. "But now, if I changed or renewed my contract, the most I could get is 2 gigabytes of data for that same $30. So, it does help for data-heavy smartphone users because a lot of the companies are really starting to reduce the amount of bandwidth you can use in a month."
Mock said the goal is to build out Y-FI backbone this year, but how fast that happens depends on funding and the cooperation of the business community.
- Reach Charlie Lardner at 505-5439 or clardner@yorkdispatch.com.