Free Wi Fi in downtown Bartlesville

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Bartlesville downtown gets WiFi
By LAURA SUMMERS World Correspondent
9/8/2006

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BARTLESVILLE -- Computer users sat outside under sunny skies Thursday surfing the Web as Bartlesville became the first city in Oklahoma to offer free wireless Internet access throughout downtown.

Bartlesville-based Enhanced Communications Group launched the high-speed Internet service using Cisco Systems Inc.'s wireless mesh network to bring the latest technology to a 36-square-block area bordered by Adams Boulevard, Hensley Avenue, Cherokee Avenue and the downtown railroad tracks.

A Bartlesville Area Chamber of Commerce task force worked for a year to bring the service here.

"We're the first downtown area in the state of Oklahoma to be served with free Internet service, and I believe we're the first in the four-state area (Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas) in getting it done," said Jim Fram, president of the chamber.

Mayor Julie Daniels cut a blue cable in a morning ceremony at a downtown gazebo along Keeler Avenue and Frank Phillips Boulevard to celebrate the new network access -- called WiFi -- for Internet users.

The system provides a connection that is compatible with laptops, cell phones and other devices.

"We think Bartlesville is a hidden gem when it comes to the small-business opportunities
that are here," said Bo Summers, CEO of Enhanced Communications. "We just want our residents to be able to enjoy the benefits of free wireless."

The project, which was led by Arvest Bank's Jim Bohnsack and was a year in the works, was applauded by local businesses including ConocoPhillips, which operates its Global Information Systems division from Bartlesville. The Houston-based energy giant provided equipment and financial contributions toward the effort, along with assisting in some equipment installation.

Kay Sallee, general manager of enterprise information services at ConocoPhillips, said her department is "absolutely thrilled" with the availability of WiFi.

"From here we deliver technology around the globe," Sallee said. "So for me, it only makes it logical that Bartlesville would be a leader in the state in technology.

"This is just one more reason we think Bartlesville is a great place to live."

It is really sad to think how cheaply Tulsa could do this in the IDL, area Parks, and Community Centers. It's just another missed opportunity example of the misguided mindset of the movers and shakers who support expensive taxpayer funded segregated luxury fantasy islands over minor investments that have major impacts which everyone can enjoy.