Trial run of free downtown wireless ‘mesh’ network to begin at
end of summer
Gilroy – Downtown residents and shoppers can expect free wireless Internet access by the end of summer. As the service expands throughout Gilroy, the only question that remains is whether private business or government will be the provider.
In an industry where technology changes almost as fast it’s deployed, local officials are taking their first tentative steps toward a system that will enable maintenance workers, firefighters and police to log onto the Internet from a laptop or Palm Pilot from anywhere in the city.
A trial run of a downtown wireless “mesh” network is expected to begin within the next four months and will last for at least half a year. During that time, residents and businesses along the historic Monterey Street corridor will have the ability to access the Internet for free with a wireless modem. In the long term, the city may choose to charge businesses for a connection, but that decision will come later.
First, the city must answer a few questions about the new system.
“Mesh networks are fairly new,” said David Chulick, Gilroy’s information technology director. “The point of starting this is to find out how many users can we put on a (wireless network) … It’s cutting edge. A lot of the big cities are starting to do it, but they haven’t fully deployed it.”
Gilroy’s downtown network is expected to cost $15,000 to deploy, according to Chulick.
But the government is not the only potential Internet service provider, or ISP.
“I’d rather have private enterprise do something instead of having the city spend the people’s money,” said Councilman Craig Gartman. “Heck, I’d rather have the money put toward our sidewalks.”
A half dozen ISPs have offered different flavors of free service, according to Larry Mickartz, a member of the Gilroy Downtown Business Association who’s leading efforts to bring wireless Internet to the area. Some ISPs hoped to subsidize free service by running an advertisement banner on top of Web pages. Others focused on earning revenues by providing higher-level networking services to businesses.
Mickartz said the city entered the picture with its own wireless plan shortly after he pitched such ideas last summer.
“I’m behind the city plan at this point because it has the least amount of complications for us,” he said. “The ball is in the city’s court, but if we could design it, we’d like to see a no-cost service for everyone in the historic core, with the possibility of upgrades for businesses.”
Chulick allowed for the possibility of a private ISP handling wireless communications in the long run, but he said it’s too early to predict. As the city’s IT director, Chulick said his first priority is ensuring that public employees have adequate service.
At some point in the future, Gilroy may also have the option of tapping into a regional wireless initiative called Smart Valley, the brainchild of a consortium of business, government and academic leaders. The project aims to bring wireless technology to 1,500 square miles stretching from Fremont, south to Gilroy, west to Santa Cruz and as far north as San Mateo.
Gilroy officials have their doubts whether the project will ever reach South Valley, and they’re not waiting around for anyone to bring them citywide wireless access.
The downtown, now in the midst of a major facelift to its streets and sidewalks, will be the first to benefit from the city’s latest technology initiative.
“The goal is to create a wi-fi program as another tool in which we’re tying to enhance the downtown,” City Administrator Jay Baksa said. “When (Smart Valley) may come down here I’m not sure. That’s why we need to keep rolling with this on our own.”
Why you should care
The city is on the brink of deploying free wireless Internet access for the downtown area, a trial balloon in an effort to provide wireless service to public employees and residents throughout the city.
