Dallas Parks Going WiFi

Dallas is the latest city to jump on the high tech bandwagon.Tietze Park, an 82-year-old northeast Dallas park, will be the first of seven park and recreation locations in the city to offer free wireless internet service.Park visitors have mixed reactions. Jeanne Clifford said, “It’s kind of odd, something we just have to get used to like everything else.Park visitor Susan Bryant thinks the service could have a positive effect. “I think it will encourage people who have the flexibility at work to come outside, and get out, and move. A lot of times, you’re doing two things at once. That’s what we’re used to doing these days,” she said.Others, like Carol Hutt said, “I like to be in the park and relax and get away from the computer and all the work. That’s a lot of money spent on computers. I’d like to see them improving other stuff.”Some residents are concerned the service will attract the wrong type of people.Clifford is a mother of five and she says, “As parents, we have to be extra watchful, everything has it’s pros and cons. We just have to keep our eyes open.”The City of Arlington is also considering a proposal to provide wireless internet access.Nationwide, cities like Boston, San Francisco and Philadelphia are investing in the technology to make it possible for people to surf the web in public areas, with no cables.The Town of Addison was the first community in the state to go totally WiFi. Their version requires people to sign up and pay a fee. So far, they say they have 700 subscribers.