This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Valley City is launching free Wi-Fi access in its city parks and public buildings.
The new service, dubbed West Valley City Connect, will first be available in Centennial Park and at the West Valley City Family Fitness Center, with plans to expand to more than 20 parks and city facilities over the next six months.
City Manager Wayne Pyle said the program will extend high-speed Internet service to neighborhoods that have lacked access until now.
"Internet access is no longer a luxury," Pyle said in a statement, "it is becoming a necessity."
When fully expanded, he said, the initiative will make Utah's second-most-populous city "one of the most connected cities in the country."
The new service is to be powered by UTOPIA, the high-speed fiber-optic network operated by 11 Utah municipalities, including West Valley City.
The city's free Wi-Fi program also is coming amid ongoing plans to extend UTOPIA access to more than 2,700 West Valley City homes by year's end.