Roanoke’s Downtown WiFi Hotzone - is it really working?
September 2nd, 2007 by Ira Kaufman
When I learn of a restaurant or business in Roanoke that has WiFi, I get really excited. 
I look to meet clients at a central location in Roanoke that has free wireless internet or a WiFi hotspot for business meetings. If I am on the south side of town there are several nice restaurants and coffee shops I can use. When I am downtown there are a few places I can go. Trying to access the City of Roanoke's WiFi Hotzone can be rather frustrating. You never know if it will work and for how long. I don't have a dependable connection to conduct a business meeting!
Roanoke City (recognized as the "Top Digital City" last year) installed the WiFi in 2003/2004. What has been done since then? What are the future plans for upgrades? Who really cares if it works or not?
There are lots of people that care and would use the service. Roanoke is struggling to keep and attract young professionals (see article on Stuart Mease recently published in the Roanoke Times.
In fact this article brought an email on this subject to Stuart from Greg Hudgins, a former Roanoker, now a professional living in Northern Va. Greg shared with Stuart…
"I find Roanoke to be a pretty hip small city and would think it is doing a better job of retaining younger folks than when I left. One suggestion I have for Stuart as a visitor from a larger metropolitan area, DC, and as a measurement I use to gauge a cities "hip-ness" is its WIFI availability. As an OD consultant who travels a lot for my business, it is a plus for me when I visit a city and can find easy web and internet access. It is far more appealing when I find a city that supports their community by making WIFI free and easily accessible.
Roanoke promotes its free WIFI downtown in the market area but it doesn’t work. I think Roanoke is missing out on an opportunity in this regard and could use it to attract a younger demographic. When I ask Roanoker’s on the market for advice about it, they say it hasn’t worked well for years."
Obviously, it is important and people do care. So what plans does the city have to revamp it's WiFi hotzone?
Roanoke Biz2Biz has always had an interest in WiFi hotspots in the Roanoke and New River Valleys. We have compiled a list of WIFI Hotspots across Roanoke, Salem, New River Valley and Lynchburg. We update the list as new locations are added. If you can add to our list please comment here or email wifi@roanokebiz2biz.com.
Category: Wi-Fi, Young Professionals, Community, Business, Government | 5 Comments »
