Ritter Communications providing free high-speed internet service to new RightFiber™ WiFi Park in Newport, Ark.
JONESBORO, Ark. (August 30, 2022) – Ritter Communications, the largest privately held telecommunications provider serving exclusively the Mid-South, is providing free internet service to the innovative new RightFiber™ WiFi Park in Newport. Once construction on the park reaches completion, residents will be able to visit the park to access free high-speed wireless internet for their personal use. The Newport Economic Development Commission (NEDC) is spearheading the project in conjunction with the Southwest Planning and Development District with funding recently granted by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
“We saw a real need within our community arise, and we’ve been amazed at the support we’ve received in addressing it,” said NEDC Director Jon Chadwell. “With the help of Ritter Communications, we’re creating the infrastructure that will ensure our citizens have remote access to high-quality wireless internet in a safe outdoor environment should another event similar to the pandemic occur.”
The idea for the park was born out of the pandemic, according to Chadwell, who recalls witnessing local students and residents struggling to complete their classwork or business online because of a lack of accessibility to reliable high-speed internet during the onset of COVID-19 when public buildings were either closing or restricting access.
“Ritter Communications is proud to partner with the Newport community in providing unique and creative solutions that support broader access to essential tools and connectivity,” said Ritter Communications President & CEO Alan Morse. “This park will help ensure the residents and businesses of Newport are able to reliably access high-quality internet and stay connected.”
Ritter Communications was first approached about the project by the city’s mayor and the Newport Chamber after the company announced in April plans to expand its industry-leading RightFiber services to the Newport community. “Through the expansion of our residential fiber network to serve all neighborhoods within Newport, plus ensuring all eligible households are aware of discounts on internet service available through the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and now this community WiFi park, we hope to cover all the bases to bridge the digital divide in the community,” Morse added.
“I’m thankful for the vision and leadership of the NEDC and for partners like Ritter Communications who are helping to lift up and improve our community. This collaboration demonstrates the remarkable achievements that can result from a well-suited public-private partnership that focuses on solving a problem,” said Newport Mayor David Stewart.
The park features 41 regular parking spots, four handicap parking spaces, four shaded picnic table areas and free WiFi. The new WiFi park is aesthetically designed and takes the place of a formerly underutilized lot located adjacent to the community library. The park’s WiFi services are essentially an extension of the library’s public WiFi network that will now be powered for free by RightFiber, the latest fiber internet service from Ritter Communications offering the fastest, highest performing, symmetrical one gigabit speed available.
Ritter Communications is a regional telecommunications provider, headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas, serving more than 113 communities in the region across four states with a full suite of innovative communications services. Learn more at RitterBusiness.com or RightFiber.com.
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About Ritter Communications: Ritter Communications is the largest privately held telecommunications provider serving exclusively in the Mid-South, offering world-class broadband fiber, telecom, video, cloud and data center services. The company has grown rapidly over the years, investing millions recently in technology infrastructure and is now serving 113 communities and more than 45,000 customers in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Tennessee. Headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Ritter Communications invests heavily in the communities it serves by deploying proven, best-in-class infrastructure and technology, while coupling it with a world-class customer-focused experience. For more information visit rittercommunications.com.
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