FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — The City of Fond du Lac has offered free public Wi-Fi for years, and while some residents say they enjoy the service, others say they don’t find it valuable or don’t even know it exists.
- WiFi is available in most areas of Downtown and is free to use.
- The intensity varies across the city.
- This service uses existing infrastructure.
- Some residents love the service, but others don’t want it.
Fond du Lac Mayor Joe Moore said the WiFi was installed to take advantage of an existing system the police department uses to write reports.
“If you’re on a cellular connection, this is a money saver for people who are trying to conserve their data usage,” Moore said.
City officials would not tell us how much the WiFi costs.
“Our investment in public Wi-Fi is part of a broader infrastructure investment, not a separate annual cost for public Wi-Fi,” Katherine Duveneck, Fond du Lac’s IT director, said in an email.
“The cost is pretty low,” Moore said.
Former City Councilman Ken Cassady said the city shouldn’t spend any money on it.
“It’s redundant in that almost every company offers it… I don’t consider WiFi an essential service,” Cassady said.
The city couldn’t release the exact range of the WiFi, but I tested it in a few popular locations.
Near the lighthouse at Lakeside Park…there was no signal, just like downtown.
I was able to connect in other places but the speed was slow.
I walked around town asking people if they were using it.
“Around here downtown, you’re always carrying your phone, so it’s nice to have WiFi.”
But others didn’t even know it existed.
“I’ve seen the signs but I didn’t know how to connect and it’s never shown up on my phone.”
“I never noticed it before.”
Many people I spoke to said they would like to take advantage of the expanded Wi-Fi, and the city says plans are focused on improving connectivity downtown and in city parks.
