Visitors, residents and workers in downtown Anchorage might be able to start using the Internet for free this summer.
Mayor Mark Begich said Monday he wants to sign a deal with a California company to install free wireless Internet in downtown Anchorage this summer. The new service could be in place by the end of July, and starting next year it could be expanded to the rest of Anchorage, city officials said.
Free wireless could be nice for everyone, but it could really be a boon for Anchorage visitors, tourism industry officials said.
"More and more people expect to be able to access the Internet wherever they go," said David Worrell, with the Anchorage-based Alaska Tourism Industry Association.
The city has been trying to lure more national conventions to town, and free wireless might enhance its efforts, he added.
The 1-megabit-per-second Wi-Fi service offered by MetroFi Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., pays for itself with online advertising, the company said.
The city will not have to pay anything to MetroFi, which will bear the cost of installing about 35 Wi-Fi broadband devices on city property, such as telephone poles and buildings, city officials said.
But MetroFi users pay $19.95 monthly if they want an ad-free version of the service.
Also, the city would have to pay MetroFi monthly fees if it decides later to tap into the company's wireless network. By doing so, city employees could access data remotely while they are in the field, such as water-meter readings, police mug shots and surveillance camera video in schools.
The city and MetroFi provided no cost estimate for a potential contract with the city. But for example, it would cost about $200 a month to run a high-performance camera enabling police officers in their cars to send or receive video from the scene of an accident, according to MetroFi chief executive Chuck Haas.
MIXED SUCCESS
One of Metro-Fi's clients, the city of Riverside, Calif., pays MetroFi for 350 traffic surveillance cameras, which are supplied, installed and run by the company, he said.
MetroFi supplies free wireless in nine cities, including Portland, Ore., and is pursuing contracts in five other cities, he said.
Five other companies competed for the Anchorage deal.
MetroFi was the only one that offered the free Internet wireless service. "That was key to us," said Begich spokeswoman Julie Hasquet.
The Wi-Fi licensing contract still needs approval from the city Assembly, which is scheduled to take up the contract June 26.
Other contenders for the wireless deal were GCI Communications Corp. and ACS Inc., both of Anchorage, Wireless Delta Solutions of Delta Junction, Clearwire US of Kirkland, Wash., and Global Wireless Solutions & Technology Inc. of Florida.
GCI and ACS officials had no immediate comment Monday. When Begich originally announced his goal for free wireless in the city, officials for both companies -- which offer paid Internet services in Anchorage -- gave a lukewarm response to the idea.
Municipal Wi-Fi networks have been hit or miss in a lot of other cities. Some residents have complained that it is hard to get connected. Also, some cities that installed and tried to run their own wireless networks on a subscription basis have run into financial problems.
Haas said most cities have turned away from running their own wireless networks in the last year or so, because it wasn't their expertise.
He added that many people in their homes or businesses will not be able to connect to the free wireless network without purchasing a device to improve the reception.
A Wi-Fi signal will penetrate windows but not pass through a concrete wall. People in their homes and businesses might need to purchase a Wi-Fi modem for about $100 to boost the signal, he said.
A high-performance wireless card -- at most $120 at Best Buy -- can also provide a better connection to the wireless network.
Find Elizabeth Bluemink online at adn.com/contact/ebluemink or call 257-4317.
