Signal may be reaching other towns

WiFi fever may be spreading.

Watching a new wireless network unfold in Kankakee, Bourbonnais Mayor Bob Latham said he likes what he sees. So does Bradley Mayor Gael Kent.

Bradley officials are looking at installing wireless communication devices for emergency personnel as a way for police and fire personnel to communicate in time of emergencies, such as tornadoes, when other systems aren't accessible.

Motorola recently made a presentation to the Bradley Village Board, but Kent wasn't happy with the company's suggested $128,000 price tag for limited service. Kent said he's intrigued by the purported $20,000 the Kankakee project is spending to install towers in a small downtown radius.

Kankakee's project is less expensive because of the system it's using and because city engineers and The Daily Journal's information services department will be handling operations and maintenance themselves and won't need to hire additional personnel, said Wade LeBeau, information services director for The Daily Journal.

Bourbonnais, Latham said, "is very much interested in it. Once the Kankakee area gets developed, it would spread into Bourbonnais, which would be great. It's very exciting. We're really looking forward to it."

In learning that Bradley Mayor Gael Kent also is interested in the Kankakee WiFi system, Latham said that WiFi could be another way for the local communities to work together.

"This would be a win-win situation for all of us," Latham said.

PC World magazine estimates that nearly 4.5 million American households already use WiFi, and other reports have put the number of WiFi hotspots at more than 110,000.

~ Roy Bernard