Google and The Chelsea Improvement Company have partnered
to provide free public WiFi internet access in southwest
Chelsea.
It will become the first wired neighborhood in Manhattan
and the largest contiguous WiFi network in New York City.
Free WiFi is now available outdoors, roughly between
Gansevoort St. and 19 St. from 8th Ave to the West Side
Highway, as well as the neighborhood?s public spaces,
including the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park, and
Gansevoort Plaza. The Chelsea WiFi Network was designed
and installed by Sky-Packets.
"Google is proud to provide free WiFi in the neighborhood
we have called home for over 6 years. This network will
not only be a resource for the 2000+ residents of the
Fulton Houses, it will also serve the 5,000+ student
population of Chelsea as well as the hundreds of workers,
retail customers and tourists who visit our neighborhood
every day," said Ben Fried, Chief Information Officer for
Google. The network will cover all of the outdoor areas of
the Fulton Houses, a property owned and managed by the New
York City Housing Authority, as well as several of the
local public schools.