Firm Gives Out Free Routers in the Castro
Spanish company FON hopes to launch new trend in public wireless access with giveaway

By Kyla Calvert

Sitting down at a bar next to a six foot two inch male Cher impersonator may just be part of another day in the neighborhood for most Castro residents.

However, FON, a Madrid-based wireless company is hoping to use videos pairing the most sought after Cher look-alike (known as Chad Michaels in her non-celebrity life), to draw attention to their “Share the Castro” campaign to blanket the neighborhood with wireless Internet access hotspots.

Filmed at businesses throughout the Castro on Jan. 12, the Cher videos will debut at FON’s official launch party for the “Share” campaign in late February. As part of the initiative, the company will be giving away hundreds of their wireless routers, which normally sell for $33, to Castro residents for free.

The team giving away routers during the Jan. 12 filming will be handing out more free routers in the weeks leading up to the campaign’s official launch.

The initiative is FON’s first major attempt to establish a significant presence for their wireless hotspots in the United States. A small campaign in the Alamo Square area preceded the Castro event and both have followed FON’s unique model that has successfully peppered European cities with Foneros – FON’s name for owners of their wireless routers.

“FON’s bottom-up approach has been able to create the level of connectivity that municipal WiFi plans were trying to establish here and in other cities before the corporate partners started backing out,” explained Jamie Walter, an associate with Spark PR who is working on “Share the Castro.”

The company’s grassroots approach to providing free or inexpensive wireless Internet access relies on individuals and businesses, such as cafes, that own the company’s unique routers.

Unlike conventional routers, FON’s routers emit two secure signals. One is password protected for the owner’s, or Fonero’s, use and the second is accessible to the public.

Foneros can choose to share this portion of their Internet connection with other users for free or can charge a $3 per day fee to those who want to log on. Owners that charge for access, what FON calls Fontreprenuers, receive half of the fee while FON retains the rest.

However, even those who choose to give their connection away for free reap more benefits than a cheap router. Foneros can log into any FON hot spot, anywhere in the world free of charge.

“They want to establish a strong presence in San Francisco and are starting with the Castro because it is a high-density area with residents that tend to be early adopters of new technology,” Walter said.

“Also, this is a very community-oriented neighborhood where people will spread the word about our campaign and get excited about helping to provide a service to their neighbors.”

“Share the Castro” is not only being promoted by a popular diva, but also has the support of
Supervisor Bevan Dufty who stopped by the Twin Peaks bar on Jan. 12 to film a short segment for FON’s videos.

“I think the notion of broad connectivity throughout San Francisco is a good one,” Dufty said. “And, with the city’s strong grassroots character, this may be the kind of approach we should take.

“I’ve met with the people at FON and we’ve discussed the importance of getting the community involved. Hopefully this is something residents will be involved in and excited about.”

Anyone wanting to learn more about the Cher videos, or the “Share the Castro” launch can do so at sharethecastro.com or by calling (415) 394-3423. Residents of other SF neighborhoods interested in joining the FON network can find a promotional code at the Web site good for a $10 discount on a router.
To learn more about FON or find FON hot spots, visit fon.com.

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