Some Ga. cities are taking advantage of state wireless program

<p>A handful of Georgia cities are taking advantage of state funding to create wireless blankets that allow computer users to connect to the Internet.</p><p>The Wireless Communities Georgia program awarded $4 million to six local governments last year, and the Georgia Technology Authority boasts another $1 million to expand the initiative to a few more communities this year.</p><p>The program requires a match of local money and a detailed business plan that shows how the community plans to partner with a private company and make the service self-sufficient through user fees or advertising.</p><p>For some areas of the state, the one-time state grant helps kick-start funding from Internet service providers who otherwise wouldn't invest, said Jeff McCord, the authority's director of intergovernmental relations.</p><p>"In some cases, private providers weren't stepping up, particularly in rural communities," he said. "We heard from a lot of these communities that this gives them another opportunity promote themselves with economic development."</p><p>The programs vary by city and range from free access to service charges. To receive state funding, cities have to provide at least a low-level service that's free to use.</p><p>The wireless signals are broadcast through an area using small antennas often mounted on stop lights or telephone poles. Businesses and residents can pick up the signals using wireless cards, and some can buy amplifiers to boost the signals.</p><p>The cities of Augusta, Decatur, Dublin, Milledgeville and Thomasville have received the grants, as well as Gwinnett County.</p><p>Richard Calhoun, the project's director, calls it "seed money" to drive more investment in the communities.</p><p>"The goal is to spur economic development through these networks, to do things more efficiently for citizens," he said.</p><p>Augusta is using the grant to expand wireless service from a downtown park to a 4-square-mile swath blanketing downtown. The city eventually plans to expand coverage into schools and could offer free connections in low-income housing areas.</p><p>City officials see it as a way to attract young residents and new businesses.</p><p>"Younger entrepreneurs, they're not going to move their business into an area that doesn't have cellular coverage," said Gary Hewett, Augusta's assistant director of information technology. "Wireless is the next step."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2dec748)</p>