Lily Pad Hotspots Cover Cincinnati With Free Wi-Fi

Lily Pad, a non-profit in Cincinnati, has developed an innovative model for deploying hotspots throughout that city:

Called Lily Pad, the partnership combines efforts from the City of Cincinnati, Time Warner Cable, and the Lily Pad non-profit organization. The endeavor has already resulted in the establishment of more than 20 Lily Pads or “pods,” each with numerous hotspots and still more access points. Another 55 or more are slated to be established in the coming weeks.

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Following a model popular on many U.S. highways—the “Adopt A Highway” program—the Lily Pad group enlisted volunteers and designed a system that called for small donations to sponsor individual hotspots for three years. “A family might sponsor a community square for $150 a month,” said Rybold, “or a larger area for $500.”

This sounds like a very interesting idea, and is really just a more formalized and accessible version of NYCwireless’ community hotspots. The model is a great way to build community, by creating visibility around people who give back to their neighbors—an idea that NYCwireless supports.