Atlanta to install free WiFi in Piedmont and Grant Parks, possibly expand Internet coverage to some neighborhoods

• Joeff Davis/CL File
• Piedmont Park

Free Internet access will soon be available throughout Piedmont and Grant Parks - and possibly some rec centers, the Atlanta Beltline, and neighborhoods - sometime in the coming year.

Originally, Mayor Kasim Reed wanted a WiFi network to cover the entire city. But City Hall couldn't afford to create a 133-square mile network, so now plans are in the works to equip the two parks with free Internet access.

Interim Chief Information Officer Michael Dogan tells CL that many citizens, businesses, and visitors expect Internet access in a city this size. "For a city this size that's called itself the most connected city in the Southeast, we want to be the leaders of that," he says. "It's expected you'll be able to work, play, and enjoy whenever you are."

Piedmont Park's installation is expected to cost "several hundred thousand dollars" to build the necessary infrastructure. Plus, there would be additional maintenance costs once the WiFi up and running. While the city hasn't nailed down a final timeline and are "in the throes" of the project, he thinks some level of WiFi can be expected within the next six months. And yes, the WiFi will be free, in some capacity.

"It's still a conversation, but the charge is free WiFi," says Dogan. "Maintaining free WiFi is a cost that the city is trying to absorb. There are conversations about what sort of speed will a user get if there are charges associated with something greater than that. But at this particular juncture, we're making the entire thing free with what we have to offer."

Dogan says Atlanta will treat Piedmont Park as a pilot program and use it as a "learning experience." Once city officials fully equip the 189-acre Midtown green space, they'll shift their focus towards Grant Park. Both efforts follow Centennial Olympic Park, which was enabled with WiFi earlier this year when the Final Four descended upon Atlanta. He says the Georgia World Congress Center Authority included the feature as part of a recent expansion of the city's surveillance network.

Expanded Internet coverage could be on its way to other parts of Atlanta. Besides Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Dogan says, WiFi access will eventually cover the city's "Centers of Hope" rec centers. Invest Atlanta has also floated the idea of bringing "gigabit Internet" to the Beltline.

What's more interesting is that the city is talking with Central Atlanta Progress, Midtown Alliance, and Buckhead Community Improvement District about bringing free WiFi to those business districts. There's nothing set in stone yet, he says, as it's "more of a coordinated effort that Atlanta needs to consider."