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20 NYC Parks To Get Free Wi-Fi Service

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Free Wi-Fi will be provided in 20 New York City parks under a new five-year initiative by AT&T.

The program was unveiled Thursday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Randall Stephenson, who is the chairman and CEO of AT&T.

"The service is completely free - F - R - E - E. You don't have to register. You just catch the Wi-Fi signal, agree to the terms of service, and you are on your way," said Bloomberg on Thursday. "

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It's already started in three locations. AT&T Wi-Fi can now be found in Battery Park, Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx, and at Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem.

"We all know the importance of New York City's parks and what this project does is make these great public places even more relevant," Stephenson said.

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State Sen. Jose Serrano, who represents parts of the Bronx and Harlem, says the program will provide Internet access to people who might not otherwise have it.

Serrano says it could make job searching easier. He also noted that it was another incentive to spend more time outdoors.

The 20 parks are: 

The Bronx: Joyce Kilmer Park, Bronx River Park and Devoe Park

Brooklyn: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Fort Greene Park, Herbert Von King Park, McCarren Park and Prospect Park

Manhattan: Battery Park, Thomas Jefferson Park, Central Park (multiple locations), the High Line, Holcombe Rucker Park, Marcus Garvey Park and Tompkins Square Park

Queens: AstoriaPark, Flushing Meadows Corona Park and MacDonald Park 

Staten Island: Clove Lake Park and South Beach

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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