Brookhaven to offer Wi-Fi in many areas

Coming soon to a Brookhaven corner near you: wireless Internet hot spots.

In conjunction with Cablevision, Brookhaven officials plan to install several Wi-Fi hot spots in town. Access is free for Optimum Online customers, while others can have free access for 10 minutes once a day and thrice in a 30-day period. Daylong access can be bought for $4.99.

The hot spots are going to be installed in Town Hall, the Parks Administration Building in Centereach, Brookhaven Calabro Airport, Henrietta Acampora Recreation Center in Blue Point, Heritage Park in Mount Sinai, Mastic Pool and Skate Park, the Medford Athletic Complex, Rose Caracappa Recreation Center in Mount Sinai, and West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook.

"In this world of laptops, smart phones, and tablets, people need to be connected to the internet wherever they are for business and personal reasons," said Town Supervisor Mark Lesko in a statement. "I am glad to partner with Cablevision to bring WiFi to our residents and add not only to the convenience of doing business at Town facilities, but also give our residents a more enjoyable experience when they visit the Town."

Tim Farrell, vice president for wireless product development for Cablevision, said the company, which owns Newsday, is "pleased to further extend this popular service to public areas across the Town of Brookhaven."

Cablevision was the only responder to a request for proposals the town issued in August. At Tuesday's town board meeting, the trustees unanimously approved a proposal to award Cablevision a five-year contract to provide Wi-Fi in town. Cablevision will not charge the town for the design, installation and deployment of the hot spots. Cablevision keeps the fees.