Providence’s Dunk to Charge $9.99 for WiFi, Boston and Worcester Charge Zero
Wednesday, October 03, 2018
Taking the kids to the Providence Bruins game and want to send a video to grandma? Need to respond to some emails while watching the Friars game? Or, want to post some pics to Facebook while attending Disney on ice?
Then, you may have to get the credit card out.
While many venues are trying to encourage the fans to be more active and involved in an era of social media, the leaders of the RI Convention Center Authority seem to be taking up a new and counter-strategy.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Dunkin’ Donuts Center and the RI Convention Center are now charging $9.99 for use high bandwidth WiFi after thirty minutes. The new policy is unprecedented.
According to both the TD Garden in Boston and the DCU Center in Worcester — at their venues, WiFi is free. Both venues seemed surprised by the question.
Tech Republic writes, “Younger fans are leaving stadiums when they can't get connected, so sports teams are finally embracing technology as a way to improve the fan experience and increase the team's bottom line.”
Where Does the Revenue Go?
Moreover, all of the revenue will not go to the RI Convention Center Authority — the public authority in charge of the venues.
Hospitality Network, a Cox Communication company, has the exclusive contract with the Dunk and RI Convention Center. The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“[There is a] 5-year term, RICC monthly service fee $9,400, DDC monthly service fee $5600 [combine for] 30% owner,” according to Amanda Marzullo Wilmouth, Assistant General Manager of the building.
And 70 percent of the revenue goes to Cox’s Hospitality Network.
A lower bandwidth is available for free according to the buildings, but the lower level free bandwidth in a crowded event makes it difficult to utilize to send larger files like photos and videos — and nearly impossible to utilize to upload to social media.
“RICC free WiFi is 256k and times out at 30 minutes. There is an option to purchase higher bandwidth, however you can resubmit the terms and conditions page and utilize the free WiFi continuously. DDC free WiFi times out after 4 hours. Again you can resubmit your terms and conditions page and utilize the free WiFi continuously,” said Marzullo Wilmouth.
When Was it Installed?
As GoLocal reported in May that the Dunkin’ Donuts Center had a bust schedule with virtually no events this past summer.
It is the tale of two arenas. In Providence, the Dunkin’ Donuts Center goes dark this summer hosting fewer than five events and in Boston, at the TD Garden, the building is rocking literally all summer and into the fall with the biggest names.
After the college graduations, Providence’s premier event venue hosts only a food event, a “Conversation with Bill Clinton” scheduled for June 15, and an August appearance by Banda Ms de Sergio Lizarraga. The rest of the summer the building is closed.
Note, after the GoLocal article was published, the Clinton event was canceled due to lack of ticket sales.
“[The] contract was completed and infrastructure installed in the DDC as of January 23, 2018, RICC was installed and complete end of August 2017,” according to Marzullo Wilmouth,
Venues are Trying to Connect Fans
One sports stadium trade website says the key to success in an era of social media is to engage fans to connect.
“The first step of improving fan experience has been the addition of Wi-Fi to many stadiums. This connectivity allows fans to gain access to services like social media and messaging that has been difficult to obtain in the past due to large crowds. With the use of Wi-Fi, a few teams like the Baylor Bears, Nebraska Cornhuskers, San Francisco 49ers, and the New England Patriots have created mobile apps to engage with fans and allow them to connect to their team on a whole new level. Through these mobile apps, fans are able to see instant replays from multiple angles, browse through scores and schedules, as well as creating personal dashboards” writes Opendorse.
Related Slideshow: Kris Dunn’s Top 5 Games at The Dunkin’ Donuts Center
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