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4 Reasons for small towns to setup downtown wifi areas

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Free wifi sign

Individual businesses offer wifi now. Is there any good reason to set up downtown-wide wifi? Here are four. Photo by Becky McCray.

“Becky….we are looking at installing a downtown wifi area. What are your thoughts on that? I think it is awesome but I know I am going to get….’oh, sure…now the development corp is going to supply free wifi to people! They can pay for their own!'”
Angie Schmidt Benz
Moffit, North Dakota

Here are four reasons to consider offering a downtown wifi area:

  1. Wifi is crucial for tourism.
  2. Wifi is important to downtown businesses.
  3. Wifi is important for truck- and trailer- based businesses and mobile merchants like vendor booths to take credit cards.
  4. Wifi is important for future smart city internet-of-things sensors and data that the city and others will want to develop.

Now, where can you learn more about towns that are doing something similar now? Dig around for resources on these two websites:

  1. MuniWireless.com
  2. MuniNetworks.org

About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband own a retail liquor store in Alva, Oklahoma, and a small cattle ranch nearby. Becky is an international speaker on small business.

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Comments

  1. Great question Angie! It drives me crazy to get to Mc C or other small towns that are in ‘the dip’ and get zero service… WiFi would be invaluable!! Ohhhmy… and the tourism perks.. I can think of a dozen reasons why you should have it there! :)

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