Connecting Rural Communities - Wireless Broadband, Stevenson, WA

Wireless Broadband, Stevenson, WA

Wi-Fi for Tourists

Wireless Mesh Network
Promote tourism
City funded
Local vision & leadership

Stevenson, Washington is located along State Highway 14, approximately 45 miles east of Portland, Oregon and 40 miles east of Vancouver, Washington. Stevenson is a small community in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge with a history of logging, world-class fishing and salmon runs.

With the vision and leadership of one local businessman Stevenson now boasts a Wi-Fi network that blankets the entire downtown area. This service is free and guests may log in for up to one hour at a time. Each time someone logs in they are directed to a "Welcome to Stevenson" page that links to local lodging and dining establishments.

Stevenson's city funded wireless network was the first municipal funded mesh network in the country. The city's Tourism Promotion Fund funded and maintains the network to help promote tourism in the downtown area and along the waterfront. This project has two main goals:

The primary goal is to provide an amenity to tourists and encourage them to stay longer due to connectivity.
Another goal is to show Stevenson as a forward-thinking, tech-savvy community that understands what people need in the 21st Century is digital access.

The lessons learned from this project are that if one person or a group decides to do something there are ways to get it done without spending a lot of money. Taking things one step at a time is not beyond the abilities of a small group.

In the future, customized websites could be developed for each Wi-Fi coverage area featuring tourist information and ads for the businesses in that area. This could generate additional revenue needed to pay for equipment upgrades.

For More Information:

Website: http://www.cityofstevenson.com

Contact: Joseph Schlick, Founder and System Administrator, Stevenson Wi-Fi Project
Email: jschlick@stevensonwifi.net

These materials were developed as part of the Southern Rural Development Center’s National e-Commerce Extension Initiative. They are based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Award No. 2005-45064-03212

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Southern Rural Development Center.