Rest stop WiFi numbers growing in the USA

Washington State joins Iowa, Utah, Michigan and Texas, among others, to provide wireless internet connection at its highway rest stops, reports Ars Technica. Washington provides free internet access to the Department of Transportation website, to travel sites and to state tourism sites. Other websites and checking of email cost $1.99/20min or $3.99/day. Towns such as Forest Grove, Oregon, are also getting in on the act by providing free internet connections to lure the tourist.

For the tourist this service is invaluable. One can check on available accommodations and tourist destinations in the area and on road conditions during the winter.

Roger A. Brooks Rule 4 “The Rule of Necessity” tells us that ‘Toilets attract more than flies.’ People need restrooms. Clean, readily-available restrooms translate into visitor spending in the area, writes Brooks. Make them publicly available and visitors are likely to stay awhile, and spend money in the community. Internet availability, through WiFi locations, can also translate into visitor spending in the community. Combine the two, restrooms and WiFi hot spots, and you have a recipe for success.

This entry was posted on Sunday 3 September 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Gadget/Idea/Webtool, DURING the visit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.