With 'Surfing' Season Open on Chicago Beaches and July 4th Approaching, Thousands Catch the Web in Last 30 Days

    CHICAGO, IL, June 30, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In the summer of 2012, 40-year-old Chicagoan Rex Flodstrom made headlines when he was arrested for surfing at the city's wildly popular Oak Street Beach.

This summer, surfing the waves is still against the law at all but two of Chicago's 27 public beaches. Surfing the web, however, is not only perfectly legal, but according to Chicago-based Internet service provider Everywhere Wireless, it has quickly become one of the city's favorite outdoor activities. People have made nearly 80,000 Wi-Fi device connections over the last 30 days at ten locations that now include Buckingham Fountain and Museum Campus.

The rising popularity of web surfing among Chicago's beachgoers stems from a partnership Everywhere Wireless forged with the Chicago Park District in 2013 to provide free Wi-Fi to several Chicago beaches and parks, with the addition of 31st Street and 57th Street in 2015. In 2016, the Gigabit Internet Service Provider ("ISP"), in a partnership with StreetSmart Communications, expanded its free Wi-Fi coverage to Oak Street Beach and most recently activated free Wi-Fi hotspots at both Buckingham Fountain and Museum Campus.

Doubling in size in only four years, the Everywhere Wireless/StreetSmart Communications partnership now provides free Wi-Fi coverage to 10 Chicago Park District parks and beaches - where, according to statistics from Everywhere Wireless, thousands of Chicagoans are connecting for free to what Crain's Chicago Business recently reported is the fastest Internet available in the greater Chicago area.

In fact, North Avenue Beach, which is already considered one of the city's busiest beaches, can now claim the distinction of being Chicago's most "connected beach." According to Everywhere Wireless, North Avenue Beach leads the way with nearly 15,000 Wi-Fi mobile device connections over the last 30 days.

Chicago's most connected parks and beaches include:

Rank Beach / Park Location Neighborhood Mobile Connections (Last 30 Days)
#1 North Avenue Beach Lincoln Park 14,550
#2 Oak Street Beach Gold Coast 13,170
#3 Museum Campus South Loop 10,290
#4 Buckingham Fountain Grant Park 9,510
#5 Montrose Beach Uptown 7,230
#6 57th Street Beach Hyde Park 6,120
#7 31st Street Beach Bronzeville 5,700
#8 Foster Beach Edgewater 5,670
#9 Osterman Beach Edgewater 5,220
#10 Rainbow Beach South Shore 1,530
Total Mobile Connections Over the Last 30 Days 78,990 (Ending 6/28/2017)

"Everywhere Wireless wholeheartedly shares the commitment of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Park District Superintendent Michael Kelly to make Chicago one of the world's most connected cities by expanding access to high speed Internet in people's homes, businesses and public spaces," said Everywhere Wireless EVP of Strategy and Real Estate Keegan Bonebrake. "We are extremely proud that our partnership with the Chicago Park District is providing free Wi-Fi access to the many thousands of Chicagoans and visitors at public beaches, museums and parks around the city."

About Everywhere Wireless
Everywhere Wireless owns and manages a Chicago-based Gigabit Internet Network designed for multi-family communities and businesses; clients include Cisco, CBS, the James Hotel, Nike, the Art Institute and the Field Museum, along with leading commercial and residential property developers and managers throughout the greater Chicago area. Leveraging next-generation microwave technology, the Everywhere Wireless network delivers Internet speeds up to and beyond 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps), also known as Gigabit speeds, the fastest Internet available in Chicago as reported by Crain's Chicago Business. To help make a difference in the lives of the great people of Chicago, Everywhere Wireless has partnered with the Park District to provide free Wi-Fi at many of the city's public parks and beaches -- and the company regularly contributes to such community-focused organizations such as the Alzheimer's Association's Greater Illinois Chapter and the ReVive Center for Housing and Healing. For more information about Everywhere Wireless, visit www.EverywhereWireless.com.

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