What's that thingamajig on that traffic light?
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com

The devices on the traffic lights are wireless Internet antennas.

In approximately 30 days, almost the entire West Floyd Baker Boulevard business corridor will become a wireless Internet hot spot.

The Gaffney Board of Public Works has been busy in recent days installing 19 wireless fidelity antennas on traffic light crossbars and telephone poles along the busy boulevard, as well as on Hwy. 105 near the Interstate 85 intersection. Each of the Wi-Fitransmitters has a range of 1,000 feet in all directions.

The Board of Public Works plans to use the Wi-Fitransmitters to better communicate with its workers out in the field, said BPW General Manager Donnie Hardin.

"We have laptops in some of our vehicles now so we can communicate work orders with them," Hardin said.

Instead of using radios or paper, the BPW can simply e-mail orders directly to the vehicles.

And while they're not involved in the BPW's project, plans call for local police and fire agencies to be able to use the system as well.

When the system goes online for the test period, however, Hardin confirmed there are no plans to block the public's access to the wireless Internet connections.

"The band could be restricted so nobody could use it but us," he said. "Right now, we're just going to leave it open."

He wouldn't discount the possibility the BPW could actually sell wireless Internet service to businesses and the general public in the future. He cautioned, though, that nothing is set in stone.

"This is a pilot project," he said. "If it works in this area, then we'll evaluate whether we want to spend money and cover a larger area."

It would cost about $500,000 to install the Wi-Fitransmitters throughout the BPW's coverage area. Currently, Hardin said the BPW only has the cost of about three days worth of labor invested in installing the equipment.

The hardware was provided by AFLTelecommunications, which has corporate offices in Duncan. A spokesperson could not be reached for immediate comment Thursday.

Chuck Bolin, information technology director at the BPW, said this is no ordinary Wi-Fiequipment, such as the type used in homes.

"This system is very robust," he said.

The signal is able to penetrate into buildings that normally would block out radio transmissions. Similar equipment was installed on the Davidson College campus near Charlotte and the Miami Dolphins' stadium, Bolin said.

While many details would have to be sorted out, Gaffney Fire Chief Nathan Ellis said Wi-Fiaccess could be very valuable to emergency responders. For instance, firefighters might be able to access a hazardous materials database while responding to a problem at an industrial site. They also might be able to use wireless technology to formulate their plans of attack on their way to a fire scene, such as by calling up building floor plans on a computer.

This isn't the first time the BPW has associated itself in some way with Internet access. In 2005, plans were under way for a New York company to use the BPW's electrical lines to deliver Internet service. Such delivery, however, fell out of favor and those plans never progressed.

Wi-Fiantennas are being mounted on utility poles and traffic lights at various points in the Gaffney Board of Public Works service area. BPW information technology manager Chuck Bolin called the system "robust," not like home wireless networks.

The BPW will initially use the Wi-Fiservice to communicate with its workers in the field.

Local police and fire departments will also be allowed to use the network.

Access to the Wi-Fisystem by private citizens will not be restricted, at least during the early stages of the project.

The BPW could eventually charge for Internet access, depending on how the system develops.