Individual businesses offer wifi now. Is there any good reason to set up downtown-wide wifi? Here are four. Photo by Becky McCray.
“Becky….we are looking at installing a downtown wifi area. What are your thoughts on that? I think it is awesome but I know I am going to get….’oh, sure…now the development corp is going to supply free wifi to people! They can pay for their own!'”
Angie Schmidt Benz
Moffit, North Dakota
Here are four reasons to consider offering a downtown wifi area:
- Wifi is crucial for tourism.
- Wifi is important to downtown businesses.
- Wifi is important for truck- and trailer- based businesses and mobile merchants like vendor booths to take credit cards.
- Wifi is important for future smart city internet-of-things sensors and data that the city and others will want to develop.
Now, where can you learn more about towns that are doing something similar now? Dig around for resources on these two websites:
- How small town businesses can market to remote workers and turn them into new customers - May 15, 2023
- Survey of Rural Challenges 2023 results - May 8, 2023
- Rural and small town ideas from the OU Placemaking Conference IQC 2023 - April 5, 2023
- Rural tourism trends say small towns are still cool - March 27, 2023
- Move Your Money and Bank Local - March 22, 2023
- Using a building as a warehouse or storage in a small town? Put up a sign - March 13, 2023
- How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores - February 19, 2023
- Check your small business website for outdated pandemic changes, missing info - January 31, 2023
- Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors - January 15, 2023
- 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses - December 26, 2022
Great question Angie! It drives me crazy to get to Mc C or other small towns that are in ‘the dip’ and get zero service… WiFi would be invaluable!! Ohhhmy… and the tourism perks.. I can think of a dozen reasons why you should have it there! :)
Thanks, Katy. It can be tough to face the opposition you know is coming, but it helps to have a few responses ready.