The city rolled out its free Wi-Fi stations along Third Avenue in Manhattan Thursday — and the signal is so strong that people living nearby can access the complimentary service right from their homes.
Some are even planning on ditching their Internet providers now that they can surf the Web for free.
“I’ll definitely cancel my Time Warner,” said Alex Della Rocca, 36, a p.r. worker who lives on 16th Street and Third Avenue, where Mayor de Blasio announced the launch.
Della Rocca, another resident, was also celebrating.
“I’m glad the mayor picked Third Avenue to be the technology guinea pig,” he said. “I’m newly married, and my wife and I are trying to save whatever we can.”
The LinkNYC hubs are between East 14th Street and East 45th Street and are said to work from up to 400 feet away.
“Hell, yeah, I’d cancel my Internet,” said Billy Crosby, 61, a dog walker living on 16th Street. “I hate all these big conglomerates. The Internet should be free, like basic TV channels.”
Vicky Bee, another dog walker who lives nearby, said she, too, would love to kick her Internet provider to the curb.
“Hell, I’m being charged by Time Warner,” she said. “If it’s free, it’s for me.”
Carol Edwards, a retiree who lives on Third Avenue, said it was like Christmas came early.
“I think this is fantastic,” she said. “I’m an older person. I don’t have Wi-Fi, so now I will.”
Provided by Intersection, the Wi-Fi can be accessed without a password. The hubs offer free domestic calls, a touchscreen for Web access, two charging ports, and a button to call 911.
City officials aim to have at least 510 hubs set up by July and 7,500 over the next eight years. They said they hope to replace all of the city’s 6,000 pay phones with the hubs by 2024, adding
that ads on them will generate $500 million for the city over the next 12 years.
Before Thursday’s launch, de Blasio tried a hub out himself, calling 311 and asking about services in Park Slope.
“It worked beautifully,” he said. “I just want to thank our 311 operator who got everything exactly right.”