FLINT – The outline for Wireless Genesee, to bring free wireless Internet access to all 642 square miles of Genesee County, was announced Thursday at a news conference held at the Flint Cultural Center. glimaEast played a major role in pulling the plan together.

The plan for Wireless Genesee is modeled closely after the universal wireless plan announced last year by Oakland County, which includes seven pilot communities where bugs in the system will be worked out before it is rolled out to the entire country.

The research and design of the Wireless Genesee initiative is being supported through a $125,000 planning grant made to the Genesee Chamber Foundation by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

“Wireless Genesee is one of the most important projects to ever be undertaken in Genesee County,” said Rick Hammel, Chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners. “It is our goal to provide low cost or no cost Internet access to every citizen, business or visitor to Genesee County.”

Under the program public structures are offered to private firms for the placement of wireless transmitters in return for free wireless Internet access at a speed greater than dial-up, but less than broadband. Public structures include public buildings, tornado siren and 911 towers or any other publicly owned structure taller than 15 feet. “We recognize that wireless Internet access is an essential infrastructure,” said Hammel. “We believe it has the potential to alter the landscape of our community and help us to be competitive in the global market place.”

“Wireless Genesee is a collaborative and unifying project,” Hammel said. “It has benefits for every citizen and business in Genesee County. The Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce has been particularly helpful in bringing the initiative to life.”

The Regional Chamber is a newly formed organization resulting from the merger of the Flint Chamber of Commerce, the Flint Genesee Economic Growth Alliance, the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the Genesee Area Focus Council. Member glimaEast took the early lead on developing the plan for Genesee County.

Materials provided to attendees at the launch event included a listing of Wireless Genesee objectives. The objectives include:

Reduce ?Digital Divide?

Make low cost or no cost Internet access available to every citizen, business and community in Genesee County.

Create a vibrant economic growth environment

Wireless Genesee is an essential hi-tech tool required to retain and attract businesses and jobs. Wireless Genesee will remove site selection barriers common in rural communities where Internet access can be limited or non-existent. Wireless Genesee is also an important training tool to help prepare Genesee County residents for the jobs and technologies of the future.

Create a hi-tech learning environment.

Wireless Genesee will enhance educational opportunities for all residents, especially K-16 students, who will be able to take advantage of distance learning opportunities. Many students do not have Internet access at home. Those students are at a disadvantage as they move through educational systems. In the future they will be able to access the Internet at home, review lessons on-line or share learning opportunities with others. All students will have an opportunity to gain an increased understanding of computers, the Internet and other technical skills necessary to compete for good paying jobs.

Enhance public services and reduce costs

Wireless Genesee will enhance municipal services. As more government services such as building permit issuance, tax notifications or meter reading migrate to the Internet, municipalities will be able to offer more to the citizenry at reduced cost. Workers will be able to read blueprints and other important documents on-line and on-site to save time and money on infrastructure repairs.

Attendees were also informed of a pilot community program through which any Genesee County city, township or village can apply to be among the first communities to receive wireless access.

?We will select a number of pilot communities based on a series of criteria set out in our application and input from the company selected to build the network,? Hammel said. ?There will be some geographic limitations, but the application process is a way to fairly select which communities receive wireless service first.?

The Wireless Genesee work group is currently developing a schedule of activities to be accomplished during 2006. It is anticipated that Requests for Proposals will be issued to private companies in April.

?Our plan is to have wireless service in pilot communities in the first quarter of 2007,? said Herman. ?That effort will, in part, be determined by what we learn from the RFP process.?

Jimmy King, a former executive with Consumers Energy and now on loan from Rowe Engineering serves as project manager for Wireless Genesee.

A website detailing the Wireless Genesee initiative and activities is at WirelessGenesee.Org