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Wireless Internet Service Is Sought for All of Ulster County
Daily Freeman, 05/18/2006
KINGSTON - An Ulster County legislative committee is requesting information from wireless Internet services as part of an effort to connect the entire county to a WiFi network, including rural areas that do not have access.
Ulster County legislators Brian Cahill, D-Ulster, and Robert Parete, D-Boiceville, said Wednesday that the Legislature's Administrative Services Committee has agreed to seek requests for information from wireless providers.
Cahill said the idea is to create countywide wireless Internet access system. But neither in his press release nor in an interview could Cahill provide specific details on how such a plan could be implemented or how it would be financed. He did not rule out that taxpayer money would be involved.
"My goal is to get this service where it isn't right now," Cahill said. "At this point, we are just examining it and getting information, and if it depends on using taxpayer money, then we have to weigh that decision when the time comes."
While Ulster County mulls the idea, Andrew Halpern of Tivoli, president of the company American WiFi, has already launched an effort to bring wireless Internet service to individual communities, including his hometown, where a contract has been sealed. Halpern has also pitched his plan to the Kingston Mayor James Sottile and the Common Council to bring free limited wireless Internet service to the city, along with a paid service, free of advertising or time limits, at $19.95 per month.
Halpern is also seeking to offer wireless Internet in Catskill.
On Wednesday, he said he would be willing to present his plan to the Ulster County Legislature. But he said he is prepared to seek approval from rural municipalities, like Marbletown, to provide the same service.
Halpern said that if all goes as planned, he could provide the service to all Ulster County towns within two years. Unlike major corporations, he said, he does not need to make millions, so he's able to provide the service for free or at a reasonable cost.
He needs permission from local governments to place antennas on some public buildings, but he said his plan does not require the use of taxpayer money.
"I would be more than happy to make a presentation and show (legislators) how they can do this in a financially feasible way," Halpern said.
Cahill said that he hopes Halpern is successful in his endeavor, but said he wants to hear from other companies that could provide the service. "The purpose of this is to make sure that we can get everybody access," he said.
Parete said there is a possibility that the county could place antennas in rural areas on structures it owns, or somehow interconnect them with the 911 system.
"This would be a collaborative effort to come out with the best possible product," Parete said.
Kingston Alderman Richard Cahill Jr., R-Ward 6, who has been a strong critic of the Kingston proposal, reiterated his objections to the government getting involved in any way with Internet services.
Cahill said the county and city should be "more concerned" about rising taxes "than about the Internet."
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