News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Monterey officials have begun discussions on bringing free Wi-Fi to town.
Technology Committee Chairman Nathan Walker said he’s been doing quite of bit of research on the topic.
“It’s a sizeable project. There’s no doubt. But, a lot of these technology companies are providing grants to a lot of these cities,” Walker said. “That’s something that we can definitely look at applying for. Maybe partnering with one of these companies.”
Outgoing Alderman Rebecca Iaquinta said the free Wi-Fi would keep the kids from parking in front of the library half the night.
“Livingston has free Wi-Fi and so does Cookeville and Baxter,” Iaquinta said. “I think we need to send our technology committee out there and get us some free Wi-Fi.”
Alderman J.J. Reels agreed with Iaquinta and said he’s totally for the idea of city-wide Wi-Fi.
“As far as the kids at the library, it’s a mix of kids and adults who may not be able to afford their own internet service at home and with today’s technology driven world, it’s almost a necessity to have access to the internet,” Reels said.
Walker said his research suggests that the antennas for the project cost about $4,000 to $5,000 and would cover about 300 feet.
Reels said he had questions about whether the cost would outweigh the benefits.
“It’s something that’ll have to be studied. If the antennas only cover 300 feet then the cost could be in the 10’s of thousands of dollars,” Reels said. “We need to find out what Cookeville and the surrounding cities have done and how they accomplished it.”
Reels said he would like to have a better idea of how much the project would cost on a monthly basis as well as the upkeep costs.
“Seems like, to me, it would be very expensive and could be cost prohibitive,” Reels said.
Monterey officials will continue discussions on adding free Wi-Fi to the city.
