Free Internets?

Oooh!

Taken from XMission's website.

XMission Unveils Plans for Free Wireless Service in Ogden


Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah (April 20, 2007) — XMission, Utah’s first and largest independent Internet service provider, has teamed up with the City of Ogden to bring free and low-cost wireless access services to residents and visitors of the Utah city.

According to Mayor Matthew Godfrey, “Ogden is excited to be partnering with XMission on a new model for offering ubiquitous broadband access. This model allows it to occur without competing with the private sector or going into debt.”

XMission will design, build, and power the expansive Ogden Wi-Fi network, eventually spanning 28 square miles, and serving 78,000 residents and thousands of annual visitors. Ogden’s residents and visitors will have access to several low and no cost wireless service options within the city’s connected areas.

To keep costs at a minimum, the wireless service is being financed by a number of sources including sponsorship from XMission, funds from the City of Ogden, and equal access technology grants from the Economic Development Council. Ogden will reinvest a portion of project revenues back into the city.

“XMission's wireless with Ogden City is a prime example of what private/public partnerships can do to benefit the citizenry instead of taking advantage of them,” said Pete Ashdown, President and CEO of XMission. “With other projects costing the taxpayer millions of dollars for questionable outcomes, XMission's wireless will provide concrete opportunity for all in Ogden without financial risk.”

Free wireless users will enjoy their first hour of Internet access with no bandwidth restrictions and then a 40 kbps connection for each subsequent logged-in hour, while existing XMission customers can receive extended free access to the service at full speeds. XMission and Ogden also plan to offer an exclusive wireless access account.

The project in its entirety is scheduled to roll-out in strategic phases during a five year period. Phase 1, currently under construction, provides Wi-Fi coverage for Historic 25^th Street, the park surrounding the Ogden Municipal building and the Marshal White recreational facility and park. Secondary phase 1 deployment areas will extend coverage to the Treehouse, the Technology Center, and additional portions of the business district. Phase 2 will include residential wireless implementations. Phase 3 will provide coverage to new city development projects including the River Walk project, gondolas, and the city’s new transportation hub.

A longtime advocate for driving economic development through Internet technologies, Ogden has been recognized as one of the top U.S. “Digital Cities” by Government Technology Magazine for three years in a row, and is well known for its world-class recreational activities, historic business district, and its selection as a major venue city for the 2002 Winter Olympics. According to Godfrey, “Pete Ashdown’s vision for his company meshes well with ours. We both believe everyone should have access to broadband technology at lower costs.”

XMission recently funded and deployed wireless network installations at Liberty Park and Pioneer Park, both located in downtown Salt Lake City, and provides free wireless access to the Salt Lake City Library, The Gallivan Center, and on Main Street. For more information about XMission’s wireless Internet networks throughout Salt Lake City, please visit http://www.xmission.com/wireless/.