CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Waiting in line at the Bradley County clerk's office may suddenly seem a lot less taxing.
Wireless Internet access recently was unlocked for the public at the Bradley County Courthouse, making the network available to attorneys and gadget-toting visitors alike.
Dan Howell, executive assistant to Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis, called the move a valuable aid to the legal profession, noting that the open network will allow attorneys to pull up important documents without having to return to the office.
Wireless access also is beneficial to Realtors, who can look up deed records online, said Information Services Director Mike Sullivan.
"It's basically a tool for taxpayers," Mr. Sullivan said, noting that he hopes it will draw more business and life to the downtown area.
The Bradley County Courthouse annex also is set up for wireless Internet, but that network will remain password-protected for the time being, Mr. Sullivan said.
"We don't want people hanging around using the Internet for their laptops," Mr. Davis said. "We could always stop it if it became an issue."
Cleveland attorney Randy Sellers said he was one of the first to test the open network several months ago during a trial. He used the Internet to call an expert in California to testify, saving travel costs, he said.
Mr. Davis said Bradley bought its wireless base stations before the recent budget crunch. Mr. Sullivan said the system was installed last year for about $1,000. Using Wi-Fi doesn't add any cost to the county's Internet bills, he said.
While Mr. Sullivan asserted that there are no security concerns with the open network, Mr. Sellers said he believes it's important for the county to track who logs on from government property.
Mr. Sullivan said the system will record users' IP addresses, but names won't be recorded.
Nevertheless, Mr. Sellers said he's glad to have the ability to look up cases on the fly.
"I'm just glad we're catching up with the times," he said.