Surf the web for free on Diamond Park WiFi

Jul. 21—After recent discussions by Meadville City Council of shopping around to have free public WiFi service installed in Diamond Park, Armstrong made officials an offer that fell within the cash-strapped city's budgetary limits.

How about we do it, the cable television provider said, for free?

The offer became a reality this week: Visitors to Diamond Park in Meadville can now access free public WiFi service, according to City Manager Maryann Menanno.

"Armstrong is still working on getting higher speeds," she said Thursday, "but it is up-and-running."

Fiber optic cable related to the WiFi service was installed over the past 10 days. Armstrong performed the work for free and will monitor and maintain the network, according to Ronnie Long, interim general manager of the regional Armstrong office in Meadville.

"We're still tweaking it," he said of the quality of service available.

The name of the free network is "zoomwifi," Menanno said.

When visitors use the network, they will typically encounter a "splash page" or introductory message that informs them the service is provided by Armstrong, but there are no obligations or advertisements, according to Long.

"It's something that Armstrong does," he said in a phone interview. "We saw an opportunity to give back to the community."

Armstrong similarly provides free WiFi access at The Arc Community Greenspace, a few blocks from the Diamond, and at the Crawford County Fairgrounds during that annual county fair, Long said. The company already has set up free WiFi areas in Titusville and in Andover, Ohio.

Long said the family-owned company based in Butler has a tradition of giving back to the communities that it serves.

Menanno said the availability of the network would be advertised on social media and that signage may also be added to let park visitors know about the WiFi.

Part of City Council's interest in providing the service was out of concern for safety, according to Menanno.

"Some individuals only have access to use their phones through a WiFi connection," she noted. Diamond Park's central location "made it a logical place" for the service.

Use of the WiFi will be monitored by Armstrong and some websites will be blocked, according to Menanno.

Long said the company would "mainly monitor nefarious activities" and described the network as reliable and safe to use, comparing it to the public WiFi that travelers encounter in airports or other public places.

"I wouldn't recommend conducting business off of it — it is an open network," he said. Phone calls via WiFi, typical internet browsing or social media use were not cause for concern, he added.

Long said the possibility of providing free WiFi service in one or more city parks was also under consideration.

Armstrong is the city's sole provider of conventional cable television. City Council members in March voted unanimously to approve a 10-year franchise agreement with the company. Under the agreement, the city assesses a 5 percent fee on Armstrong's gross revenues for cable services provided in the city.

The 2023 city budget projects revenue of $145,000 from the fee. As provider options for viewers have increased, the revenue from the fee has fallen gradually over recent years, from $172,800 in 2012 to $146,148 in 2021.

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.