Portland would add Wi-Fi to lampposts

In the next year or so, you may be able to get a free Wi-Fi signal from street lamps in downtown Portland. The City Council voted unanimously Monday, with Mayor Ethan Strimling absent, to approve an $8.5 million project to purchase its street lights downtown and several islands from Central Maine Power Co. The project would allow the city to install more efficient LED lights, as well as install Wi-Fi, among other technologies, saving up to $1 million a year, once the project is paid for.