Du Quoin State Fair to Go Wireless

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Du Quoin City Council Monday approved a business development grant not to exceed $50,000 to bring wireless internet service to the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.

Commissioner Rex Duncan said wireless internet would be a very strong marketing tool to attract individual events and campventions to the fairgrounds.

Comments were made that the State of Illinois does not have the money to budget for the inclusion of wireless internet, so it behooves the city to take the lead.

Duncan is director of the Connect SI program which promotes internet service across Southern Illinois.

The proposal involves entering into a contract with Clearwave Internet of Harrisburg. Du Quoin would buy the signaling equipment and would own it. Clearwave would incur both the costs of maintaining the equipment and garner the revenue from selling subscriptions to campers, horsemen and fair vendors.

Anyone interested would go online and subscribe to the service using a charge card for the number of days they will need the service on the grounds.

Duncan said he expects the total setup cost to be no more than $40,000 when all is said and done.