Earlier this month, it was announced that the city of Gainesville, Florida is laying the groundwork to create a “Wi-Fi Canopy” that would expand public Wi-Fi access throughout the corridor of the town stretching from the east edge of the University of Florida campus, as early as this Fall.

The project comes as a part of the ongoing Strategic Development partnership established one year ago between the city of Gainesville and the University of Florida.

While the specific details of the project have yet to be confirmed, Assistant City Manager of Gainesville, Dan Hoffman acknowledged that the project would effectively serve as an extension of the university’s eduroam service – a worldwide, secure Wi-Fi access service developed for the international research and education community.

Since the university joined eduroam four years ago, they have significantly grown the service through a number of different ways, including making Wi-Fi available at their hospitals, health centers, and even Gainesville Regional Airport.

When asked, Hoffman stated that the primary objective of the “Wi-Fi Canopy” project is to help make downtown Gainesville a more attractive place to live in as well as to visit, through state-of-the-art,robust digital infrastructure.

“Having a vibrant downtown core is essential to having a city that can compete for talent, jobs and investments,” Hoffman said. “By making downtown a more attractive place to live, we also encourage people to live, work and play in close proximity and that in turn reduces congestion.”

In addition to expanding students, researchers, and staff’s ability to obtain internet connectivity, this newly-proposed initiative, if enacted, would help to close the digital divide that continues to hold back thousands of citizens across the United States and beyond.

Furthermore, this move should be applauded as it reiterates the significant value and positive impact Wi-Fi and connectivity have on education and the healthcare industry. Access to Wi-Fi ensures that students are able to stay connected and gain access the educational resources they need, and that healthcare workers and patients alike have the best hospital experience possible.