A joint hearing of the council’s committees on technology and parks focused on Wi-Fi hot spots where park-goers can access the internet via laptops, cell phones and other devices.
The deadline announcement comes nearly three years after New York’s Department of Parks & Recreation requested bids for Wi-Fi development in parks throughout the city. The Wi-Fi Salon won the bidding, and set up Wi-Fi in Battery Park. The company is now seeking a sponsor to provide backing for the installation of wireless networks in other parks.
Gale Brewer, who chairs the committee on technology in government, said: Technology is fast becoming an essential part of everyone’s lives, and we should be wiring as much of New York City as possible, including our parks.
Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Julius Spiegel said the privately run Bryant Park, one of the first New York Wi-fi parks, has approximately 250 users a day.
