Free public Wi-Fi service and charging stations are coming to five Detroit parks.
The pilot program will be available in Bradby Park, Chandler Park, Clark Park, McDuffy Park, and Palmer Park.
Construction will begin immediately and continue through fall, with internet connection provided by Cronus Internet, officials announced Thursday.
“Detroit’s parks are our common grounds,” DPC executive director Sigal Hemy said in a press release. “We are thrilled that our neighborhood parks will help bridge the digital divide and elevate quality of life for all Detroiters.”
A 2017 Metro Times cover story reported that about 40% of the city had no internet connection, what critics said amounted to “digital redlining” that left Detroiters at a disadvantage.
“This is now no longer a problem of lost opportunity — this is a problem of a genuine barrier,” Bill Callahan, director of the nonprofit Connect Your Community, told Metro Times. “In many ways you could say the cost of internet is a new poll tax. ... This has now become a civil rights issue.”
The project is funded via $265,000 in grants from the Detroit Pistons, Rocket Community Fund, and Knight Foundation, in partnership with the City of Detroit, the Detroit Parks Coalition, and Connect 313.
The grants are expected to fund the project for the next five years.
The project follows an effort by the Detroit Pistons to renovate 60 basketball courts in parks across the city.
“Through the Pistons’ ‘Basketball for All’ program, the team has made a concerted effort to impact the city’s parks by renovating 60 basketball courts, including playing surfaces at Bradby and Palmer Parks,” Erika Swilley, Detroit Pistons vice president of community and social responsibility. “We view the Park Wi-Fi Pilot program as an extension of our court renovation project and an opportunity to continue to make an impact on the city’s parks.”
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