PROVIDENCE – Cox WiFi Internet access is now available in Kennedy Plaza for Cox Communications high-speed Internet customers.
The WiFi launch was announced Thursday at Burnside Park by Cox Senior Vice President and Region Manager Jay Allbaugh and Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, who were joined by representatives of the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy, The Providence Foundation and R.I. Public Transit Authority.
Kennedy Plaza represents the first of three Rhode Island WiFi locations to be announced as a result of a $300,000 investment by Cox to build hotspots in the state, according to information from Cox.
It is also one of more than 400,000 hotspots accessible by cable customers nationwide, Cox said.
Cox customers with Preferred, Premier or Ultimate Internet packages have free access to CoxWiFi as part of their service.
“Along with the incredible speeds Cox offers in the home, our customers want access to reliable high-speed Internet wherever they are,” Allbaugh said in a statement. “Providing them Cox WiFi service allows us to meet their changing information access needs, whether it’s TV programming, social connections, home monitoring or simply general information that is reliable from the four walls of their home to the four corners of their community.”
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Customers of Comcast, Time Warner, Bright House and Optimum, also will be able to access WiFi in Kennedy Plaza. In addition, Cox is working with the city to expand WiFi into Waterplace Park, and the company will announce another WiFi location in southeastern Rhode Island this summer.
Cox was initially approached by the leaders of The Providence Foundation and the DPPC about the possibility of adding WiFi in the park.
Cliff Wood, executive director, DPPC, said, “The DPPC welcomes this service not only to draw people to the parks, but as part of our ongoing, engaged public programming. It is a win all round.”
Scott Avedisian, Warwick mayor and chairperson of RIPTA’s board of directors, said that Kennedy Plaza is the busiest commuter station in the state.
“If you look around during peak travel times, you’re likely to see hundreds of people looking at their phones or tablets,” he said. “Cox WiFi is a great addition to the station and all those travelers looking to stay connected while on the go.”
Here’s how to access Cox WiFi: When customers are in a Cox WiFi hotspot, they will see the Cox WiFi network location (SSID) in the list of available networks on their wireless device. Customers then enter their Cox user identification and password to log in to CoxWiFi. Once authenticated, they will be able to browse the Internet as they would from home.
Cox customers looking for WiFi access can go to www.cox.com/hotspots and enter their location to find nearby hotspots. Users also can click on a WiFi icon on the map or download the Cox Connect app for iPhone and Android devices and immediately access directions to or from the specific WiFi hotspot address. Once a user has logged into a Cox WiFi or CableWiFi hotspot, his or her wireless device will automatically recognize and logon to other Cox WiFi and CableWiFi hotspots as long as they remain a Cox subscriber.
