Downtown Jacksonville is now the biggest internet hot-spot in the city.
Free wi-fi is now available across Central Park, thanks to Jacksonville Main Street and the organization’s locally-funded mission to revitalize and preserve the downtown atmosphere.
The new outdoor network is paid through a USDA marketing grant in connection with Jacksonville Main Street’s weekly Wednesday Downtown Farmers Market.
According to Executive Director Judy Tighe, the wi-fi comes at no cost to the residents of Jacksonville. Tighe believes the free access could actually save people money in the long run.
Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard says this is another example of Jacksonville Main Street providing a positive direction in the city.
“This is something they have been trying to do for two years and they finally got it done. It will certainly help the downtown and flow as far as people being able to have wi-fi. We spent a lot of money on the downtown and this just adds to the dimensions of what we can do with the square.”
The service will be free for up to two hours each day. People within range of the wi-fi can tap into the network following a simple log in process and will then be taken to a landing page, which will eventually be more developed.