Google Offers Free Wifi Internet in Chelsea

111-8th-WiFi

Google will provide free Wifi Internet access in the Manhattan neighborhood surrounding its New York headquarters in 111 8th Avenue, a major data center hub and connectivity hub, the company said today. The wireless network in the Chelsea section will be the largest contiguous WiFi network in New York City, the company said.

Free WiFi is now available outdoors, roughly between Gansevoort St. and 19 St. from 8th Ave to the West Side Highway, as well as the neighborhood's public spaces, including the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park, and Gansevoort Plaza. The network will cover all of the outdoor areas of the Fulton Houses, a property owned and managed by the New York City Housing Authority, as well as several of the local public schools.

"Google is proud to provide free WiFi in the neighborhood we have called home for over 6 years," said Ben Fried, Chief Information Officer for Google. "This network will not only be a resource for the 2000+ residents of the Fulton Houses, it will also serve the 5,000+ student population of Chelsea as well as the hundreds of workers, retail customers and tourists who visit our neighborhood every day."

"New York is determined to become the world's leading digital city, and universal access to high-speed Internet is one the core building blocks of that vision," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Thanks to Google, free WiFi across this part of Chelsea takes us another step closer to that goal."