Seth Wenig/AP An upcoming deal would bring 30 minutes of free wireless Internet to three city airports and at Stewart airport in upstate Newburgh. ALBANY – Waiting for planes at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports is about to get a little easier.
The Port Authority, at the urging of Gov. Cuomo, is poised to approve a new deal with its wireless internet provider Wednesday that would give travelers up to 30 minutes of free service at the three airports and at Stewart airport in upstate Newburgh.
“As we prepare to transform JFK and LaGuardia into the internationally-renowned airports that New Yorkers deserve, access to free Wi-Fi is one area where we can make quick progress,” Cuomo said.
The Port Authority’s new 10-year agreement with Boingo Wireless also calls for the company to spend $ 3.8 million to upgrade internet speeds and signal connections at all of the Port’s airports.
Under the agreement, airport internet users would no longer be able to purchase service by the hour. Once the free 30 minutes lapses, users will be charged a daily rate of $ 7.95 or a monthly fee of $ 9.95.
The deal also calls for Boingo to recoup its $ 3.8 million investment by a taking a slightly larger share of the revenue generated from the contract over the next five years.
Currently, the Port Authority keeps 37% of the money generated from internet sales at the airport. The Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners is expected to approve the new deal at its meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Julio Cortez/AP The Port Authority’s new 10-year agreement with Boingo Wireless also calls for the company to spend $ 3.8 million to upgrade internet speeds and signal connections at all of the Port’s airports. “They should approve this agreement,” Cuomo said. “New York’s airports have lagged behind their competitors for too long – and my administration simply will not allow our major transit hubs to be anything less than first class.”
The Global Gateway Alliance, a group advocating for improvements to the NYC-area’s airports, also urged the PA to take the action.
“An agreement to offer free Wi-Fi to 111 million passengers will finally put New York and New Jersey airports on par with other leading airports around the country and the world, Joseph Sitt, Gateway’s chairman and founder, said. “We urge the Port Authority’s Board to pass a new contract tomorrow and include this 21st Century amenity.”
Gateway’s studies last year showed airports were 3 of only 5 in the United States that did not have free Wi-Fi, and that every one of the top 15 worldwide airports offers the amenity for free.
“Free Wi-Fi will be a major step forward for our airports, and more importantly, a major win for passengers,” Sitt said.
With Pete Donohue
Yahoo Local News – New York Daily News
http://ift.tt/1iFOQNp
via Great Local News: New York http://ift.tt/1iZiLP1
No comments:
Post a Comment