MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - You’re more likely to find a free Internet hookup in Wisconsin than elsewhere.
That’s according to the group “Wired Wisconsin.” It says there are 1,300 hot spots where people can get wireless connections for their laptops – and 62 percent of them are now free, compared to 55 percent nationally.
Panera Bread was among the first restaurant chains to offer free Wi-Fi. But today, McDonald’s and Starbucks are among a number of companies that have gone from paid Wi-Fi to free.
Eric Dodge of Wired Wisconsin says the additional customer business more than makes up for the cost of providing the service. But some restaurants throughout the country are going away from free Wi-Fi, saying it’s created a silent group of people who surf for hours while sipping the one cup of coffee they bought.
But according to one industry report, shop-owners say 85 percent of Wi-Fi users respect the privilege, and they don’t take too much time. John Walch, whose company runs 22 Panera Bread restaurants in Wisconsin, says they never ask anyone to leave – but they might ask them to share a table or use less space.
Not many airports offer free Wi-Fi – and Wisconsin’s largest airport doesn’t. Pat Rowe of Milwaukee’s Mitchell International says the infrastructure to set up free Wi-Fi is very expensive – but they’d consider it if they could sell enough ads from sponsors.
