Dayton, Ohio, to Take Another Run at Public Internet

More than a decade after experimenting with free municipal Wi-Fi, the city of Dayton (OH) wants to give it another try as COVID-19 increasingly forces people to use the Internet for medical appointments, work, learning, communication and staying in touch. The city is looking at using some of its federal coronavirus relief funds to offer free wireless Internet in northwest Dayton to provide access to telemedicine platforms and remote health care services during and after the pandemic, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said.

Dayton in the mid-2000s provided free Internet access downtown and unsuccessfully tried to expand coverage to the entire city. The project failed mainly because the technology was in its infancy and the infrastructure costs were burdensome, officials said. But city leaders believe this time around would be different. The city soon plans to issue a notice of funding to let companies and providers know it has at least $1.4 million in relief assistance that it wants to put toward providing free wireless Internet in northwest Dayton. The city wants to see what kind of proposals it gets to provide long-term, municipal Wi-Fi in a part of the city where many residents do not have reliable Internet service.