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This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n Several streetlights in the City of Angels now offer more than illumination \u2014 they offer free Wi-Fi as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city of Los Angeles, in partnership with Cisco and community organizations Destination Crenshaw, the California Community Foundation and Digital Equity LA, launched a pilot program to provide free internet access across major streets, parks and public gathering spots along LA\u2019s Crenshaw Corridor.<\/p>\n Years in the making, the project is designed to address Wi-Fi access gaps for residents and businesses in South LA. The LA Bureau of Street Lighting installed 1.5 miles of underground fiber optics cable across the corridor and worked with Cisco and Presidio, a technology integrator, to deploy cloud-managed outdoor access points on top of existing city-owned street lighting assets.<\/p>\n The new infrastructure comes as the city prepares to host several major sporting events within a span of a few years \u2014 including the 2026 World Cup<\/a>, 2027 Super Bowl<\/a> and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Los Angeles prepares to welcome the world in the years ahead, investments like this will ensure opportunity and connectivity reaches every neighborhood across the city,\u201d LA Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a statement, LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson called the project an act of \u201cdigital justice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAccess to secure, reliable Internet is essential to full participation in democracy,\u201d Harris-Dawson said. \u201cThis initiative is a blueprint for other cities showing what is possible when government, nonprofits, and the private sector work together \u2013 guided by the community.\u201d<\/p>\n