HomeMy WebLinkAboutFCS-12-076 - Publically Accessible Internet Service
REPORT TO:
Finance and Corporate Services Committee
th
DATE OF MEETING:
May 7, 2012
SUBMITTED BY:
Dan Murray, Interim Director of Information Technology,
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PREPARED BY:
Dan Murray, Interim Director of Information Technology,
x2825
WARD(S) INVOLVED:
N/A
st
DATE OF REPORT:
May 1, 2012
REPORT NO.:
FCS-12-076
SUBJECT: Free Public Wi-Fi Internet Service
RECOMMENDATION:
That the provisioning of free public Wi-Fi Internet service at a number of public facilities as
outlined in Schedule “A” be approved; and,
That staff be directed to prepare an Acceptable Use Policy that defines the terms and conditions
that patrons of the service must accept prior to using the public Wi-Fi Internet service, subject to
the satisfaction of the City Solicitor; and further,
That the use of web content filtering be implemented to enforce the terms of the developed
Acceptable Use Policy in regards to accessing offensive and/or malicious content in public
facilities.
BACKGROUND:
The availability of free public Wi-Fi Internet access at various City facilities has been an interest
of Council, City staff and the public using these facilities. Many municipalities are now in the
beginning stages of providing this service to users of their public facilities. The benefits of
providing these services are as follows:
Increased access to the Internet for those people using public facilities who may have
their own Wi-Fi enabled devices (laptop, mobile device, etc.). The provisioning of free
Wi-Fi Internet will augment the existing ConnectKW public Internet access terminals that
we currently offer in some of these public facilities.
There is the potential for increased rental income from our public facilities as Wi-Fi
Internet access is a service many potential clients are looking for. Facilities such as City
Hall, Kitchener Market, golf courses and Community Centres may attract new groups
who require Internet access to conduct their business.
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REPORT:
In 2010, a comprehensive RFP process was completed to purchase a “Corporate Integrated
Communication Network” for the purposes of upgrading the City’s existing data network to allow
for the introduction of a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) phone system. In 2011, the first
phase of this upgrade was completed to provision data and telecommunications services at the
Kitchener Operations Facility. This communication network will be fully leveraged to provide the
Wi-Fi services as the required network upgrades are completed in each of these facilities to
support Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This work is expected to begin in June 2012 and it
is anticipated that all facilities listed in Schedule “A” will be upgraded by the end of 2012. The
components of this integrated network allow the City to safely and securely provision both public
Wi-Fi Internet access and corporate network access using the same equipment thereby
eliminating duplicate hardware in each location and avoiding the extra cost in purchasing and
maintaining two separate systems.
Web Content Filtering
The city has leveraged web content filtering on our corporate Internet access for well over a
decade. Web content filtering has also been used on the ConnectKW computers provided for
public use in all of our Community Centres in order to inhibit the viewing of Internet content that
patrons of the public facilities may find offensive and also to protect the computers and users
from malicious Internet content. The city’s recently upgraded firewall can service both the
corporate network and the proposed public access Internet and provide web content filtering
suitable for each service with no added cost. While some people feel strongly that Internet
access should not be filtered, it is important to recognize that these services are being provided
for free use in public facilities and not in a private setting. It is also important to note that web
content filtering systems have improved significantly over time and are much better at blocking
the intended content without miscategorising sites. City staff representing the areas that will be
serviced with the public Wi-Fi access have been consulted and there is consensus that web
content filtering is critical and should be employed. It was also noted that because many of the
community centres are used predominantly by children that the patrons of these facilities would
expect web content filtering to be used.
Other publically available Wi-Fi Internet services in the area are generally mixed on the use of
web content filtering. In most cases, however, the Acceptable Use Policy of each public Wi-Fi
service prohibits the viewing of pornography and/or transmitting illegal content even when a web
content filtering system is not in place. Typically, web content filtering is expensive and may be
part of the reason not all services use it. In the City’s situation, we are able to leverage an
existing system at no extra cost.
Development of an Acceptable Use Policy
An acceptable use policy will be developed to define the terms and conditions under which the
free public Wi-Fi services may be used. This policy will also define the liabilities of the city to
the patrons of the service. The users of the free public Wi-Fi service will need to acknowledge
their acceptance of the Acceptable Use Policy during the connection process in order to access
the service. Information Technology staff will work with the City Solicitor to develop an
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Acceptable Use Policy that covers off all the required terms and conditions while keeping it easy
to understand for patrons of the service.
Locations and Coverage of Service in Public Facilities
The list of facilities in Schedule “A” can be serviced with free public Wi-Fi given the existing
network infrastructure. These locations are currently, or are soon to be serviced with,
WREPNet fibre connections and can reliably deliver the Internet service without affecting
corporate network traffic.
Information Technology staff will perform a wireless site survey at each facility in order to
determine the best possible location to install a Wi-Fi access point to cover as much of the
facility as possible. Some facilities will require multiple Wi-Fi access points. It is not anticipated
that we will achieve 100% Wi-Fi coverage in each facility but that the service will be available in
most of the public areas and bookable rooms.
Schedule A – Facilities Planned to Implement Free Wi-Fi Internet Service
Community Centres & Pools
Forest Heights Community Centre
o
Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre
o
Downtown Community Centre
o
Rockway Seniors Centre
o
Breithaupt Community Centre
o
Kingsdale Community Centre
o
Victoria Hills Community Centre
o
Country Hill Community Centre
o
Chandler Mowat Community Centre
o
Bridgeport Community Centre
o
Williamsburg Community Centre
o
Mill Courtland Community Centre
o
Centreville-Chicopee Community Centre
o
Stanley Park Community Centre
o
Lyle Hallman Pool
o
Forest Heights Pool
o
Main Facilities
City Hall
o
Kitchener Market
o
Golf Courses
Rockway Golf Clubhouse
o
Doon Valley Golf Clubhouse
o
Any future expansion into other facilities will need to consider the ability of the network to
support the traffic that could be generated by offering public Wi-Fi Internet services. Other
facilities such as community arenas could benefit from the service but the network
connectivity at those locations would need to be upgraded to support the service. It is
important to note that outfitting some facilities such as the Victoria Park Pavilion with public
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Wi-Fi Internet services may quickly see payback of the investment through increased rental
usage for corporate customers who need Internet connectivity. Staff will continue to
examine the feasibility of providing the free public Wi-Fi services in the facilities in Schedule
B, working with the appropriate City staff to determine the value of the service to their
patrons and overall business operations.
Schedule B - Facilities to Consider Future Implementation of Free Wi-Fi Internet Service
Victoria Park Pavilion – site could see increased rental use but network facilities are not
sufficient at this time
Kitchener Auditorium – site already has some Wi-Fi provided by a third-party – need to
review any agreements as well as determine costs due to size of facility
Community Arenas – most arenas do not have the network facilities to support this
service at this time and may require significant upgrades
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
This initiative achieves progress on the following strategic plan foundations:
Capitalize on Existing Investments – this initiative leverages existing technological
assets to provide a new service to residents at no extra cost
Enhance Customer Service – providing patrons of our public facilities with free Wi-Fi
adds a new service and also improves their access to our online information as well
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
This work is being performed as part of the network upgrades required at each site to migrate to
the Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) telephone system. Wi-Fi access points were to be
installed as part of that system for corporate network access. The system is simply being
reconfigured to provision public Wi-Fi Internet access as well.
It is anticipated that our existing Internet connectivity will be sufficient to support this additional
service and will not add any extra cost to our monthly service fees. Information Technology
staff can take steps to limit the impact that the additional service has by prioritizing traffic or
placing bandwidth limits on the service if deemed necessary.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Information Technology staff will work with both the specific facility staff and Corporate
Communications to broadly communicate the availability of the free public Wi-Fi Internet
services as it is rolled out to each location.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY:
Dan Chapman, Deputy CAO, Finance and Corporate Services
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