Free Wi-Fi is coming to 31 San Francisco parks, thanks to local tech giant Google picking up the massive tab.
City supervisor Mark Farrell announced the news on Wednesday. All of the parks, plazas and open spaces are expected to be fully connected by spring 2014, with installation beginning this December.
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While it will bring free Internet to thousands of San Francisco residents and visitors, the move doesn't come cheap: Google is paying $600,000 to cover the necessary installation, hardware and maintenance costs.
Why? It's a smooth PR move to be sure, but Google's community affairs manager Veronica Bell said the company hopes it has larger implications than just a positive news splash.
"This network will make the web more accessible than ever for many San Franciscans — all they have to do is visit their neighborhood park to get online," she said. "We hope that free Wi-Fi will be a resource that the City and other local groups will be able to use in their efforts to bridge the digital divide and make their community stronger."
If you happen to live in San Francisco, or plan to make a visit in the near future, here's the full list of public spaces soon to be enhanced with free Wi-Fi:
Alamo Square Park
Balboa Park
Bernal Heights Recreation Center
Boeddeker Park
Chinese Recreation Center
Civic Center Plaza
Corona Heights Park
Crocker Amazon Playground
Duboce Park
Eureka Valley Rec Center
Gene Friend Rec Center
Hamilton Rec Center
Huntington Park
Joseph Lee Rec Center
Justin Herman Plaza
Margaret Hayward Playground
Marina Green
Minnie & Lovie Ward Rec Center
Mission Dolores Park
Mission Rec Center
Palega Rec Center
Portsmith Square
Richmond Rec Center
St. Mary's Rec Center
St. Mary's Square
Sue Bierman Park
Sunnyside Playground
Sunset Playground
Tenderloin Children's Rec Center
Upper Noe Rec Center
Washington Square Park