Company proposes free Wi-Fi to Dixon

DIXON - Christmas might come early this year for downtown Dixon. At tonight's council meeting, T6 Broadband, a local provider of telephone and Internet service, will propose setting up free wireless Internet access in the downtown area. If council members accept the offer, T6 will install Wi-Fi access points - likely on telephone or light poles - throughout 22 square blocks of Dixon. Downtown visitors will be able to tap into the network for free, and the only charge to the city will be the minimal cost of electricity to run the equipment, said Dan Heath, T6 president. The company plans to provide installation and the equipment at no charge. T6, which changed ownership last January, has offered similar services to Sterling and Rock Falls, Heath said. He hopes Wi-Fi will be operational in those cities before the end of November. If the Dixon council accepts his offer, he said, it will take about a month to get Wi-Fi downtown. If approved, the coverage would stretch from KSB Hospital on First Street west to Madison Avenue, and from the north side of the Rock River south to include Third Street, Mayor Jim Burke said. Burke said he can't imagine anybody objecting to the offer for free Internet access. "It'll be really nice for people in the downtown," Burke said. "They can go into the restaurants or cafes and tune right in. Dixon needs to, you know, get up to speed on some of this technology." If you go: What: Dixon City Council When: 6:30 tonight Where: City Hall, 121 W. Second St.