WiFi in Marble Falls’ parks sends a clear signal about progress
If restaurants, libraries and coffee houses can have WiFi, why not the green and pleasant commons of Gen. Adam R. Johnson’s burg on the banks of the lower Colorado River?
Every sound — and responsibly financial — effort to ensure Marble Falls joins the 21st century is a good one.
Though the concept might take some getting used to at first, the suggestion is actually just another way to keep pace with technology while providing a convenient service. Though small in size, Marble Falls is growing and must keep positioning itself as a place to live that is convenient and user-friendly.
We live in a mobile, digital age of immediate communication and news. Instant messaging, cell phones, texting, iPhones, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, laptops and satellites have reduced the distances between people to zero. The global village has become a noisy and nosey neighborhood where everyone can see into each other’s backyard.
Get used to it. Or stay unplugged and off the grid.
But since a growing number of residents are choosing instead to embrace the digital age, the idea to install a wireless net in the city’s public places is worth exploring.
Nona Fox, the president of the EDC, noted that many people enjoy their lunch in area parks during their breaks. Sure, they could bring a book, and they certainly should read a newspaper (preferably this one), but why should those with laptops and personal digital assistants be left out of the loop?
Even moms and dads who bring their kids to the park might want a little break. Wireless connectivity lets them crack open that computer and check messages or find information on the net.
Portable information devices are the wave of the future, and the EDC is smart to recognize this. WiFi in the parks becomes another selling point for the city when trying to attract new businesses and residents.
The explosive growth of the laptop market has been linked to the availability of wireless connectivity. Part of the boom is fueled by schools and colleges requiring more students to have wireless laptops.
According to a recent online article for Ars Technica, the country’s “notebook market boomed in 2007, with laptop shipments rising 21 percent to a total of 31.6 million units. Desktops still outsold laptops in 2007, but the gap between the two has shrunk as desktop sales continue to decline.”
The piece also states industry analysts predict that notebook sales will exceed desktop sales for the first time in 2008. Within three years, laptops could “represent 66 percent of corporate purchases, with 71 percent of consumers opting for a notebook instead of a tower.”
So why not stay on the cutting edge? Part of the EDC’s goal is to attract businesses to the area. Parks equipped with wireless nets are certainly one way to show that Marble Falls is more than a pit stop outside Austin.
Plenty of other European and American cities — including Corpus Christi — already have WiFi.
To start with, Fox has suggested wireless networks first should go to Johnson Park and Lakeside Park, adding they would likely be a boon for the city. Joey Procter of Imagine Solutions has been asked by the EDC to study the cost and feasibility of the project before returning with some hard figures.
He had a couple of caveats for the corporation, and they bear repeating: Many cities opt to limit the range of their wireless Internet service because they don’t want to compete with local wireless Internet providers. The service can be set up so that when people log on, they’re automatically redirected to a community portal, and that’s the protocol followed by many cities.
Proctor also said communities offering free wireless service also limit users’ time to two hours per day and screen inappropriate Web content.
His report is eagerly anticipated, and in the meantime the EDC should consider pursuing this initiative.
WiFi in the park once again shows just how progressive Marble Falls can be. And besides, we think it’s a great way to see www.thepicayunetv.com on a lunch break.