Want to surf the Web from a park bench?

Thanks to a test of wireless Internet access sponsored by the city, county and Oregon State University, it’s a possibility.

Its future hinges on a vote in December by OSU students who will be asked if they’d add a few extra dollars to their existing technology fee for Internet access all over town.

“Our hope is that the students will be able to vote on the issue next month so that next year the project could build out,” said Robel Tadesse, information systems manager for the city.

The project is several years in the making, but has yet to go to student voters, who will carry the bulk of the financial load if they opt to approve the fee.

Currently, computer users in the downtown and campus areas of Corvallis can log in to a wireless network for free for an hour a day, up to a maximum of 10 hours per month. More access can be purchased from Stephouse Networks, the Portland company that is running the system.

Students can use the test system, which covers an area of campus and downtown from First to 14th streets and from Adams to Monroe avenues, for free with their OSU network username and password.

If students decide to adopt the wireless network, they’d have the option of paying $1 per term for access only to the OSU network for e-mail and administration tools. For $6, they would buy general access to the Web.

Tyler Booth, president of Stephouse Networks, said Corvallis citizens who aren’t students can buy access to the network by logging in to the wireless network and signing up. The service costs $20 per month.

Booth said download speeds are similar to DSL and other wireless providers, at around three megabits per second for downloads and 384 kilobits per second for uploads.

He said the system is built on a modular design so that the network could expand easily if demand calls for it. If students vote to pay for the system, additional capacity could be added starting in January.

Matt Neznanski can be reached at 758-9518 or matt.neznanski@lee.net.