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BRECKENRIDGE — The Town of Breckenridge recently launched 10 Wi-Fi hot spots throughout the Town that are free and open to the public.
The idea is that this is an investment in economic development, said Kim DiLallo, director of communications for the Town. It will provide an additional amenity for visitors and residents, she added.
Based on the recommendation of the Breckenridge Economic Development Advisory Committee (BEDAC), Breckenridge Town Council approved this pilot program in December. Installation of the Wi-Fi boxes began last month. And recently, all the locations have been running and tested to make sure they work, DiLallo said.
One of the places Town officials believe this new offering will benefit residents is at the ice rink. “It will make a huge difference for parents. ... They can do their business from there,” DiLallo said.
Still, she cautions people to remember that with any wireless service, the security is not infallible. She warns users to keep that in mind and not perform transactions with their personal information.
BEDAC members have been looking into technology for about two years and have been assessing Wi-Fi as a possibility for more than a year, DiLallo said. As they looked into municipal wireless, they saw challenges that other places have faced with it. So, as a result, BEDAC and the council felt this pilot hot spots program would be a good place to start, DiLallo explained.
“We felt this was something viable,” she said, adding that the total installation cost was less than $1,000 and it is a benefit that will help the Town stay competitive with other mountain resorts.
The plan is to monitor the program looking at what kind of use it gets to see where the Town wants to go with it, DiLallo said.
The Town of Vail launched its town-wide wireless program about 15 months ago and Leadville followed in the summer.
CenturyTel, which paid about $750,000 for the network, owns and operates Vail’s Wi-Fi that gives users 60 minutes of free access. After that, they can sign up for more time and pay.
The wireless service in Vail has been a success with about 11,000 users in an 11 month period, said Ron Braden, IT director for the Town of Vail. It “keeps us competitive,” he added.
“People just expect it . ... It is an amenity for the guests,” Braden said. Complaints from local business owners about needing better coverage are common, as reported by the Vail Daily. Vail was the first place in Colorado to partner on a program like this and now it is more difficult to get carriers to pay for the amenity, officials said.
Leadville received a grant for its Wi-Fi program.
In Summit County, Frisco has a few Wi-Fi hot spots in Town. According to a previous article, Frisco Town Council had discussed a town-wide network, but there wasn’t enough interest in pursuing it at the time.
<i>Lory Pounder can be reached at (970) 668-4628, or at lpounder@summitdaily.com.</i>
The idea is that this is an investment in economic development, said Kim DiLallo, director of communications for the Town. It will provide an additional amenity for visitors and residents, she added.
Based on the recommendation of the Breckenridge Economic Development Advisory Committee (BEDAC), Breckenridge Town Council approved this pilot program in December. Installation of the Wi-Fi boxes began last month. And recently, all the locations have been running and tested to make sure they work, DiLallo said.
One of the places Town officials believe this new offering will benefit residents is at the ice rink. “It will make a huge difference for parents. ... They can do their business from there,” DiLallo said.
Still, she cautions people to remember that with any wireless service, the security is not infallible. She warns users to keep that in mind and not perform transactions with their personal information.
BEDAC members have been looking into technology for about two years and have been assessing Wi-Fi as a possibility for more than a year, DiLallo said. As they looked into municipal wireless, they saw challenges that other places have faced with it. So, as a result, BEDAC and the council felt this pilot hot spots program would be a good place to start, DiLallo explained.
“We felt this was something viable,” she said, adding that the total installation cost was less than $1,000 and it is a benefit that will help the Town stay competitive with other mountain resorts.
The plan is to monitor the program looking at what kind of use it gets to see where the Town wants to go with it, DiLallo said.
The Town of Vail launched its town-wide wireless program about 15 months ago and Leadville followed in the summer.
CenturyTel, which paid about $750,000 for the network, owns and operates Vail’s Wi-Fi that gives users 60 minutes of free access. After that, they can sign up for more time and pay.
The wireless service in Vail has been a success with about 11,000 users in an 11 month period, said Ron Braden, IT director for the Town of Vail. It “keeps us competitive,” he added.
“People just expect it . ... It is an amenity for the guests,” Braden said. Complaints from local business owners about needing better coverage are common, as reported by the Vail Daily. Vail was the first place in Colorado to partner on a program like this and now it is more difficult to get carriers to pay for the amenity, officials said.
Leadville received a grant for its Wi-Fi program.
In Summit County, Frisco has a few Wi-Fi hot spots in Town. According to a previous article, Frisco Town Council had discussed a town-wide network, but there wasn’t enough interest in pursuing it at the time.
<i>Lory Pounder can be reached at (970) 668-4628, or at lpounder@summitdaily.com.</i>
Wi-Fi locations
• Breckenridge Golf Course/ Gold Run Nordic Center clubhouse• Breckenridge Recreation Center
• Breckenridge Transit Center
• Breckenridge Town Hall
• The Breckenrige Welcome Center
• Riverwalk Center
• Carter Park Pavilion
• Stephen C. West Ice Arena
• In the Arts District at the Robert Whyte House and the Tin Shop.
