When I first saw this article about Eastman Credit Union offering free WiFi, I assumed it was free wireless Internet in their branches. But no.

Eastman Credit Union joined forces Thursday with the Kingsport Housing & Redevelopment Authority’s Greater Kingsport Alliance for Development to announce the expansion of Wireless Fidelity – or Wi-Fi – in the city.

So residents of Kingsport Tennessee will now get free WiFi in their city because of a local credit union. That’s different. What a way to enable community and help the economy of their town.

It’s great for PR:

In a news conference at ECU, officials involved with the project used wire cutters to sever the link between a laptop computer and its wired connection.

And it’s good for the city:

…local police, fire and rescue personnel will also benefit with more effective communications and methods to monitor locations within the coverage areas… The network will also create educational opportunities and enhance current educational programs in the city… students will be able to conduct research and communicate with teachers and professors through the network… And tourism will also benefit… Kingsport hosts an average of 330 conventions and tournaments each year, and free Internet service will help the city’s effort at attracting new and repeat tourism visits.

Brilliant! Imagine if they now offered something like ChangeEverything.ca on top of that as a value added service for the community to discuss the issues they face and the problems they want to tackle. Now that would be giving a voice to the citizens.