GULF BREEZE — Wi-Fi hotspots have been newly installed and activated by Mediacom Communications to provide Gulf Breeze residents and visitors with free internet access in multiple locations throughout Shoreline Park North.
Seven Wi-Fi hot spots were installed adjacent to the splash park, tennis courts, skate park, softball and baseball fields, the disc golf course, football and soccer fields, and other areas that attract youth and adults who participate in recreational activities.
The hotspots provide unlimited, no-cost access to Mediacom Internet customers whether they live in Gulf Breeze or elsewhere. Non-customers can connect and receive free access for up to 30 minutes per month.
“Gulf Breeze applauds Mediacom for their community program, which offers limited Wi-Fi to non-Mediacom customers and free Wi-Fi to existing subscribers at Shoreline Park," said Gulf Breeze Mayor Cherry Fitch. "By supporting free Wi-Fi, Mediacom not only saves our community money on infrastructure, it boosts our recreational amenities by offering our park visitors Wi-Fi connectivity during sporting events, tournaments, festivals, and community center programs.
“The network can support any Wi-Fi- enabled device. And, just as important for our resilient waterfront peninsula, during extreme weather events Mediacom will disable any usage restrictions so that residents and businesses can maintain connectivity.”
Mediacom representatives collaborated with leaders from the Gulf Breeze Parks and Recreation Department to choose locations and approve entry rights for installation of equipment that provides wireless access to the internet.
Mediacom invested approximately $32,000 for equipment and construction costs and no public funds were used. The company is responsible for the Wi-Fi network’s operation and maintenance.
“The wide coverage area makes it easy for sports participants and spectators to stay connected to scan or search from a trove of information that’s available at their fingertips,” said Mediacom Senior Operations Manager Jason Christopherson. “The best thing about using Xtream Wi-Fi is that people save money because the internet connection does not count against their wireless data plans.”
How to connect
When users prompt their smart phones or other devices to search for internet availability, they will see the Mediacom hotspots listed as “Xtream Wi-Fi.” To connect for the first time, users are prompted to go to an online sign-in page: https://mediacomcable.com/xtream-hotspots/.
More information about Mediacom is available at mediacomcable.com.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Mediacom's new Wi-Fi hotspots provide free internet access at Shoreline Park North