Deal Between City and AEPCO One of First in Region and Seen as Benefit to Visitors and as Economic Development Tool ROCKVILLE, Md., June 22, 2007 – The Mayor and Council of Rockville have approved a set of agreements that will bring free WiFi (wireless Internet) service to the new Town Square development in Town Center. This will make Rockville one of the first communities in the region to have free WiFi in its downtown area. There is no cost to the City for the project contract with AEPCO (Advanced Engineering and Planning Corporation, Inc., of Gaithersburg, MD); in fact, the City will receive free wireless Internet service for its mobile workforce, such as inspectors, allowing them to spend more time in the field while maintaining a vital communication link to computerized records at City Hall. The free WiFi access will be available to the public in the outdoor areas of Town Square including the public plaza and along the streets within Town Square (Maryland Avenue and Gibbs Street). In some cases, the WiFi signal strength may be powerful enough to provide coverage several hundred feet beyond the Town Square footprint. “This is a fantastic way to attract people to Town Square and to further bolster the health and growth of this exciting venture,” said Mayor Larry Giammo. “As with the rest of the development, this exemplifies the tremendous potential of cooperative public-private partnerships. The business people, private sector employees, government employees, students, and others who visit Town Square will be able to use their laptops and other mobile communications devices while enjoying our plaza and other outdoor areas.” Under the set of agreements approved by the Mayor and Council, AEPCO will be the provider of the WiFi service; the City will not own, maintain, or operate the WiFi network. The AEPCO service is planned to be made available by sometime in August. In return for awarding the contract to AEPCO, the City will receive free WiFi accounts for its mobile workforce and other employees. “As the WiFi service expands throughout the city, this will save the City money while keeping our inspectors and other mobile workers in the field, yet able to communicate via computer with City Hall, obtaining and updating information,” said Michael Q. Cannon, Director of Information and Technology. AEPCO also will provide the City with two outdoor cameras, one located near the clock tower and the other on the Arts and Innovating building to provide images of Town Square to the public via the Web. Additionally, these cameras could be used for public safety applications if they are needed. The City will grant a license to AEPCO to place radios, leased lines, low profile antennas and other electronic equipment in the City unit and common areas of the Arts and Innovation Building. AEPCO’s business model for the wireless Internet service will allow for paid subscriptions for residents and businesses that want to have a higher bandwidth and a higher quality of service for indoor areas within Town Square. AEPCO also plans on selling advertising for the initial “splash” page that will appear when users first connect to the network. The City also will have a presence on the splash page with links to special events and the City’s Web site. AEPCO, along with its partner Ricochet Networks, plans to offer service beyond Town Square in the future. Their intent is to eventually offer citywide service to businesses and residents for a monthly paid subscription. Expansion of this service would require modification to one of the agreements and obtain approval from the Mayor and Council. AEPCO has indicated that citywide expansion could occur within 24 months after service begins in Town Square. “Our Information and Technology Department, Legal Department, and management staff, along with AEPCO, deserve a great deal of credit for their ingenuity, creativeness, hard work, and vision in bringing this project to fruition for the benefit of our community,” said Mayor Giammo. # # # | 
