Internet bench

The internet bench, also known as the "cyber seat", was the first internet-enabled bench. It was installed in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, on 6 August 2001. It was customized to allow seating for four people at a time who could plug their laptops into modem jacks for free. The bench became popular as a picture-taking location and was also covered by international television crews. With the advent of Wi-Fi, the bench was deactivated. It holds a Guinness World Record for being the "oldest internet bench". Description The internet bench was installed in the Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds by MSN (owned by Microsoft) with the support of the St Edmundsbury Borough Council. It supported four people at a time who could plug their laptops into provided modem jacks for free. MSN said they chose Bury St. Edmunds after receiving "applications from local authorities around the country". It cost about £60 for the bench and £30 for the modem. MSN agreed to pay for the modem for three months, after which it was the local council's responsibility to pay if they wanted to continue the project. History The first user was Brian Bagnall, mayor of Bury St. Edmunds. During its first days, the bench was vandalized when someone tried to "block one of the modem plugs".