Free outdoor Wi-Fi aids downtown Waterville businesses during pandemic

Courtesy / Central Maine Growth Council Free outdoor Wi-Fi coverage in downtown Waterville has attracted over 500,000 since its inception in August 2018.

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By Staff

Free outdoor public Wi-Fi in downtown Waterville is giving businesses and their customers an important tool for digital commerce during the pandemic.

Provided by the Central Maine Growth Council with support from local businesses, the open internet access has connected more than 500,000 users since it launched in August 2018, according to a news release Wednesday.

The service has benefited merchants and shoppers by allowing them to save cellphone data usage while connecting virtually. The result has been greater customer satisfaction and more foot traffic throughout downtown, according to the council.

“From Post Office Square to the Hathaway Creative Center, downtown’s free public Wi-Fi has continued to connect residents and visitors alike to Waterville’s diverse array of businesses, community amenities and eateries,” Garvan Donegan, the council's director of planning, innovation and economic development, said in the release. “Supporting downtown Waterville’s small businesses by enhancing their digital presence through increasing access to online tools, like e-commerce, is essential to the community’s economic vitality.”

The goal is to facilitate the continuity of economic development in the district as more businesses expand and grow into the area.

Conceived by the Central Maine Growth Council and Colby College, the Wi-Fi system is also sponsored by Kennebec Savings Bank, MaineGeneral Health, Northern Light Inland Hospital and Thomas College’s Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation.

The system provides high-speed outdoor internet access north-south from Post Office Square to the Hathaway Creative Center and east-west from Head of Falls to the Concourse. The system was implemented in collaboration with Axiom, an internet service provider based in Machias focused on delivering broadband to rural communities, and FirstLight, an internet service provider in the Northeast.

“Remote accessibility is more important than ever and we want to give people the opportunity to connect downtown,” said City Manager Steve Daly. “Likewise, bridging the gap between affordability and availability is critical to community members who rely on broadband accessibility as they visit the downtown district for business, the arts, dining and shopping.”