At least one good thing is coming out of this gobbledygook rebranding of Sci Fi Channel to Syfy: We’re getting free wireless Internet access!

Syfy will also be providing public Wi-Fi for a year in Rockefeller Plaza and, starting later this summer, in Union Square and other pedestrian hubs in Manhattan. While the service stresses Syfy’s civic-mindedness, says [network president Dave] Howe, it offers the additional upside of directing the million projected users to a Syfy-branded login page.

Solid. Good to know of some reliable hotspots around town, ideal for quick iTouch checks. I’ll endure the Syfy imagery; doubtful that it’ll spur me to actually tune into the channel, which is effectively non-existent to me now, regardless of the i/y substitution.