Free Wireless Internet in Dupont Circle

TechAssist LLC Offers Residents of Dupont Circle Free Outdoor Access to Wireless Internet

First Corporate-Sponsored HotSpot in DC area

Washington, DC, July 18, 2005 – TechAssist LLC, a DC-based IT consulting and services company that focuses its efforts on the special challenges associations, non profits, law firms, and small and mid-sized businesses face daily, with the assistance of additional sponsors will be launching a hotspot that will provide free wireless outdoor access to the Internet in Dupont Circle on Friday, July 22, 2005.

This free wireless hotspot allows users with wireless capable devices such as PDAs or laptops to access the Internet free of charge. A user with a laptop, for example, can go to the circle, open their wireless device, go to their wireless access menu, select FreeDupont Wireless, and hit connect. The user will then be prompted to accept the project's terms and conditions. However, no personal information will be collected. Once terms are accepted, users can browse the Internet for as long as they like for free.

The hotspot is the Dupont Circle area, which contains major residential areas and businesses, including foreign embassies, renowned museums and institutions, national and local historic buildings, as well as approximately 14,000 residents. In addition, access may be available to the hotspot from surrounding city blocks.

Key sponsors of this project include The Jurys Hotel, Allied Telecom Group, and the Law Offices of Koltun & King, PC. The Historic Dupont Main Streets and the Advisory Neighborhood Board (a member of the DC Advisory Neighborhood board) were consulted for assistance on reaching neighborhood residents.

Cities such as San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia have launched hotspots with local government funding or by non-profit organizations, but this is the first corporate sponsored hotspot in Washington, DC.

"We noticed that other cities around the country were beginning to launch free wireless hotspots with local government or non-profit funding. We felt that we could accomplish this and provide a valuable service to the city that would not only provide free wireless internet access to residents but would demonstrate that Washington, DC, is an evolving technology center and in the forefront of innovative services," said Nick Vossburg, president of TechAssist, LLC.