PORTSMOUTH
The city took a bit of a risk when it asked residents to take part in naming its new public Wi-Fi system this summer.
And the internet delivered predictably.
Some must have been aiming to make City Manager Lydia Pettis Patton and her employees laugh with names like “WinternetIsComing” or “Drop it like it’s hotspot” or “It hurts when IP.”
Others added a bit of vitriol: “TidewatersArmpit” and “Laughingstock.”
Some were bent on attacking Mayor Kenny Wright, suggesting “Get-rid-of-kenny,” “THE DUMP BY KENNY” and “SupremeLeaderKennyWrightlsHungry.”
And others seemed angry at the whole idea of free Wi-Fi: “Another hand out,” “Tax Dollars At Work,” “IHopeWeArentPayingMoreForThis.”
The majority of Wi-Fi names were tame, such as “LOVE_Portsmouth,” “P-Town connect” and “The New Portsmouth WiFi.”
Of the 170-plus entries, the city is asking participants to pick from five of the most harmless names: “Portsmouth Wi-Fi,” “Portsmouth Wave,” “PortsNet,” “Portsmouth Connect” or “Portsmouth Public Access.”
The deadline is 5 p.m. on Aug. 31.
So there will be no “WiFi McWiFiFace” or “Pretty Fly for a Wifi” to log on to in the fall.
But the free Wi-Fi for City Hall will be launched by or before the end of September, Deputy City Manager LaVoris Pace said in an email. Other city buildings and facilities will come online afterward, he said.
Johanna Somers, 757-446-2478, johanna.somers@pilotonline.com Follow @JohannaSomers1 on Twitter.
