ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) — Connectivity to the internet is something many of us take for granted, but even in 2024, some cities are still working to close the gap.
Making your way through downtown Rocky Mount, there’s a mix of new stores, shops and restaurants, along with some abandoned buildings, but the signs that things are growing are there, and with the new WiFi installed, city leaders said they believe it will be a big driver for even more growth.
The City of Rocky Mount has announced that a new free public WiFi network covering the entire downtown area is now up and running.
“It’s good to be moving in a technologically advanced direction, in line with what all the big cities are doing,” said Anthony Cunningham of Cafe Louverture.
Café Louverture’s specialty Haitian pâté has become so popular in Brooklyn that it was even featured in the New York Times.
A few years ago, the Big Apple’s loss was Rocky Mount’s gain, with hopes that life would get easier and costs would fall during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They’re big fish in a small pond right now, but they see potential in Rocky Mount.
“It’s not easy to get things moving in the right direction, but we have a plan and we believe we are slowly growing,” Cunningham said.
They are excited because when people come downtown they can take advantage of the free WiFi.
It’s a project the city has been working on for years, building the infrastructure for a free downtown network that will cost just $259,000, less than city officials had expected, and they’re confident will be profitable.
“We have several projects in the works that we hope will bring new businesses downtown, other infrastructure projects that will be announced shortly that are coming downtown, and this is momentum that we want to build on and leverage going forward,” City Manager Keith Rogers Jr. said.
The gap is also narrowing.
Thirteen percent of North Carolina households still lack internet access, a rate slightly higher than the national average, especially in rural areas.
Some Rocky Mount natives say they didn’t have a reliable internet connection until they were adults.
“I was pretty much an adult, probably in my mid-20s,” Jessica Amos said.
Amos is glad that things are much different for her children.
“Most kids I know use the internet every day, so I would hate to see a world without it,” she said.
You can access the new public WiFi on the public network by simply clicking “Connect to Rocky Mount” on your computer or smartphone.
Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All rights reserved.
