New pocket park in Charlotte’s historic West End now has free Wi-Fi
Charlotte’s West End has a new place to stream a movie or take a Zoom call, thanks to a local company offering free Wi-Fi in the historic neighborhood.
Charlotte-based tech firm AvidXchange partnered with the city of Charlotte to provide free, high-speed internet access at The Ritz at Washington Heights, a recently opened pocket park.
It’s the first stage of expanding access in the neighborhood. The internet access, powered by a new antennae on the roof of AvidXchange’s corporate headquarters, could expand connectivity along the Beatties Ford Road and Graham Street corridors.
The end result may be free Wi-Fi anywhere you walk in the West End, as company and city leaders work to expand access.
“Accessing Wi-Fi is a basic utility now,” said District 2 City Councilman Malcolm Graham. “It should be available anywhere you go.”
In the West End, it’s one of several recent projects, including the unveiling of the new Ritz pocket park and $20 million worth of lending, investments and philanthropic support to support the neighborhood’s economic growth from Fifth Third Bank.
There’s also a new charging station for electric vehicles on Beatties Ford Road that Gov. Roy Cooper toured last month.
And just a few weeks ago, city officials recently celebrated the grand opening of the recently completed Five Points Plaza. It’s a public space right by Johnson C. Smith University with tables and swings that also provides free internet access.
“I’m really proud of what we’re doing here,” Graham said. “Our goal and our objective is to make sure that people are a part of the changes (in Charlotte), not victims of it.”
Smartphone and computer users can currently log on to free Wi-Fi at The Ritz at Washington Heights via the “Open Ritz” network.
The city recommends users follow FTC security guidelines for public Wi-Fi networks, that they send information only to fully encrypted sites and avoid using mobile apps that require personal or financial information.
Digital divide in Charlotte
AvidXchange has searched for ways to help address Charlotte’s digital divide since 2020, said Rob Phocas, the company’s director of corporate social responsibility.
“There was an opportunity,” he said, “To be a good neighbor and to be part of this bigger vision to figure out: How does Charlotte connect people and keep them connected?’”
The company isn’t the only one paying attention to digital equity in the city. The so-called digital divide is one of four priorities of Mayor Vi Lyles’ Racial Equity Initiative, a $250 million public-private investment designed to address Charlotte’s legacy of racism.
The digital divide refers to gaps in three areas, said Ming-Chun Lee, a professor at UNC Charlotte who is mapping digital access resources in the city. That includes access to the internet, access to devices like computers and access to the knowledge and digital literacy skills to use both.
In today’s world, any of those gaps can hinder someone’s economic mobility, Lee said. “The access to information becomes pretty crucial.”
He pointed to 2017 data that showed that thousands of households in Mecklenburg County didn’t have access to the internet. That gap is likely still large, he said, and the potential impact of those disparities was laid bare by the pandemic.
For example, he said, think of how schools had to quickly distribute computers and set up internet hot spots so all students could participate in remote learning during the pandemic.
It’s not just households without internet who can benefit from free public Wi-Fi, Graham said. Those with limited data or shared family plans can use public access to conserve data and save on their smartphone bill.
“It levels the playing field,” Graham said. “It gives everyone equal access to information and opportunities.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
