Phase 3 of BLink, Bluffs Community Wi-Fi, is now live! On March 6, the Council Bluffs Area Wi-Fi Consortium announced the launch of phase three of BLink at a special event. The celebratory event took place at the recently refurbished Broadway Skatepark Pavilion. Several people were using the skatepark and playground areas while Mayor Matt Walsh, members of the consortium, and four Wilson Middle School students celebrated the new coverage area with a “cutting of the Ethernet cord.”
Blink, Bluffs Community Wi-Fi, was formed by The City of Council Bluffs and Council Bluffs Community School District to connect residents with online resources for learning, email, social media, web browsing and audio streaming. BLink will eventually be one of the largest free community Wi-Fi networks in the United States, covering more than 20 square miles and providing free Wi-Fi access to more than 40,000 people.
BLink funding continues to be a community-wide effort. No tax dollars have been used. The project is led by the City of Council Bluffs and Council Bluffs Community School District, and supported through the following partners:
• Iowa West Foundation
• Charles E. Lakin Family Foundation
• Google
• CBTV 17
• Echo Group
• MidAmerican Energy
• Miller Electric
• Ruckus Wireless
• SmartWAVE Technologies
• UNITE Private Networks