News

City to improve web access downtown

By Bill Moss, Published: March 14, 2013

Web surfers from here and afar should be able to catch free Wi-Fi on Main Street by May.

The Hendersonville City Council authorized the city IT director, Allen Edge, to go forward with plans to spend roughly $35,000 to expand Internet access downtown, which has been spotty since the units were moved from the top of buildings.
Edge told the council a contractor will replace the older Internet units with at least eight new ones that should provide good coverage on Main from Seventh Avenue to Allen Street and night reach the one-way streets on either side.
"We've had quite a few requests to try and get this access between King and Church," he said.
At the urging of Councilman Ron Stephens, the council decided during a planning retreat to pursue fixing the problematic WiFi coverage. Stephens said he had heard many complaints about the lack of good coverage from both local people and visitors. Nowadays, he said, tourists expect to be able to surf the web with their laptops and at tablets in areas that encourage public gatherings as Main Street does.
Edge provided a quote for the work that included $24,000 for the equipment, $7,000 for installation and a $4,000 contingency appropriation.