A Manhattan neighborhood has become the first in
New York to have totally free outdoor wireless Internet access, courtesy of Internet giant Google.
"All you need is a laptop or smartphone or
other wireless-enabled device and a web browser to get online," Google's
chief information officer Ben Fried said at a press conference
announcing the free Internet access, which covers about 20 city blocks
in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.
The neighborhood is where Google has a large
corporate presence, making it a logical place for the massive free
Internet hotspot for New Yorkers toting WiFi-ready devices.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg attends a
January 8, 2012, news conference where it was announced that the
Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea would become the first in New York to
have totally free outdoor wireless Internet access, courtesy of Internet
giant Google.
"New York is the second largest Google office in
the world," said Fried, flanked by city Mayor Michael Bloomberg and US
Senator Chuck Schumer.
"This neighborhood can now claim to be the
first in Manhattan with totally free outdoor WiFi," Bloomberg said,
adding that he hopes New York will dislodge California's Silicon Valley
one day to become "tech center of the world."
Bloomberg noted that there are already about
20 city parks that enjoy free Internet access, and said the service
would be extended to 32 others by September.
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