Augusta GA Goes Wireless
The City of Augusta, Ga., has announced that it is ready to proceed with its plan to implement a wireless broadband internet network by the end of this year. The second largest city in Georgia and home to the PGA's Masters Tournament will be releasing its Request for Proposal (RFP) within weeks.
Augusta's twist on a city wireless network differs from what other cities across the United States have tried. Using a grant from the state of Georgia, the city will be spending more than $500,000 to build and deploy the WiFi network over a highly populated area. With most of the deployment costs covered and only looking for an Internet Service Provider (ISP)to operate, market and maintain the network the City considers theirs a winning plan.
"We selected areas within the city with the highest household concentration within the city and added the downtown business corridor and three major colleges," said Gary Hewett, Assistant Director of Information Technology (IT) for the city, "then combined them all into our deployment area."
"We have reviewed wireless RFP's from all over the country," he adds. "We believe that our 'build it and they will come' approach is a model that will work."
Under the current plan, the majority of the capital cost for the network will be covered with the chosen ISP to operate the network under a revenue share plan with the City.
For more information on the WiFi plan or the RFP process, contact Hewett at 706-821-2525.
About Augusta, GA
Nestled along the banks of the Savannah River, Augusta is the second largest and oldest city in Georgia. Located in the east central section of the state, Augusta is approximately 150 miles east of Atlanta on Interstate 20. Just two and a half hours from the beach and the mountains, Augusta has the historic charm of the classic South with its tree-lined streets and majestic antebellum mansions.
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