Imagine that you could connect to the Internet anywhere downtown.
The city's Redevelopment Advisory Committee and Dade City Main Street are gathering information that could make that 21st century concept a reality.
On Tuesday evening, the committee listened to Jim Wilson, chief operating officer of Voda LLC, a spin-off from the University of South Florida, College of Marine Science that has repurposed its marine-based Wi-Fi technology for commercial use. Voda has offered to create a 15-block network in St. Petersburg's Grand Central district for just $5,000.
No cost estimates for Dade City were provided at Tuesday's meeting and no decisions were made regarding who would pay for the service, although that is something the city would consider.
But committee members received a roughly one-hour lesson in Wi-Fi, which is currently offered at The Osceola Tavern, the Coffee Mug, Beef O'Brady's, the Hugh Embry Library and a few other spots. The technology enables customers at businesses with Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet.
If enough Wi-Fi "nodes" are installed in Dade City, people could access the Internet at city parks, doctor's offices and other areas.
"The big guys, Starbucks, Panera Bread, they all have Wi-Fi," Wilson said. "They put it in because it brings in business."
Allowing Voda to create a network would be "an inexpensive way to set up a Wi-Fi cloud over your business district," Wilson said.
He agreed to bring back more information about cost and how Wi-Fi has affected business districts currently using the technology.
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