身边的经济学·社会常识英语30篇（9）

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免费公共Wi-Fi真的免费吗

The city pays for routers, security updates, and tech support using taxpayer money.
Businesses near Wi-Fi zones benefit from longer customer stays and higher spending.
Some networks ask users to watch ads or share location data before connecting.
Privacy settings vary—public logins may track sites visited or time online.
Reliability depends on funding: cuts mean slower speeds or dead zones in parks or libraries.
Students, seniors, and job seekers rely on this access—making it a fairness issue, not just convenience.
Cities measure success by usage numbers, complaint rates, and local business feedback.
‘Free’ here means no direct charge to users—but everyone pays indirectly in some way.