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Google Creates Largest Public Outdoor WiFi Network In New York

CHELSEA, New York (CBS) -- Google is now providing free wireless Internet access to Chelsea, making it the largest public outdoor network in the city.

Google said Tuesday that, among other things, the network will be available in all of the outdoor areas of the public Fulton Houses. It also will cover several public schools.

The Wi-Fi zone covers Gansevoort Street and 19th Street from Eighth Avenue to the West Side Highway, including the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park and Gansevoort Plaza.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said Chelsea Wi-Fi will be a "great resource" for the neighborhood.

"Free Wi-Fi across all southwest Chelsea takes us another step forward in groundbreaking fashion and this neighborhood can now claim to be the first in Manhattan with totally free outdoor Wi-Fi and that's great for New Yorkers who live, work, or go to school in Chelsea," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday.

The move is expected to attract high-tech businesses and expand New York's "Silicon Alley."

Mountain View-based Google has offices located in the area.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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