Going wireless in the Grove

The city’s plan to provide free high-speed Internet access to residents moves forward

By Zack Palmer

The Forest Grove News-Times, Aug 30, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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Forest Grove is next in line to become a wireless community.

City officials announced Monday that Forest Grove will offer free wireless Internet access to citizens in a 2/3 square mile area downtown that encompasses the library, Chamber of Commerce, senior center and parts of Pacific University.

“We’re excited. We think this will be good for publicity, good for tourism and good for downtown businesses,” said Economic Development Coordinator Jeff King.

The network, which is expected to be up and running by late September, will allow users to get free Internet access for their computers, PDAs or other Wi-Fi compatible devices. The service will be free of charge thanks in large part to $50,000-worth of donated networking equipment from Intel Corp.

City officials have been discussing the possibility of going wireless since January, when Intel donated the equipment. The service will be offered as part of a two-year pilot program, with Forest Grove and Intel evaluating the success of the project and exploring the idea of expanding the coverage area.

“So far, the feedback has been positive,” said King. “After the pilot program is finished we’ll see how everything goes and look at ways to expand or improve the service.”

While Internet access will be free to all, the city will not be offering technical support. Any hardware or software needed to access the network will be available locally.