It’s a real 21st century mess.

Simon Bates is a little bit country and a little bit high-tech. The country side of Bates has him living out in rural Douglas County. But Bates’ high-tech side designs and maintains a Web site for his Lawrence band.

At his rural home he can only get slow dial-up Internet access, less practical still because he has dumped his land-line phone for a cellular.

So, how does he keep a Web site functioning and stay wired up for friends and business via the Internet? Simple, he goes to Lawrence for a cup of coffee.

Bates does what hundreds of other Lawrence residents do daily. He accesses one of the many free, wireless Internet hotspots at Lawrence businesses or public buildings.

Survey results released Wednesday showed there are not many places better to log onto the Internet for free than Lawrence. The survey by MetroFreeFi.com – an online directory of free hotspots – ranked Lawrence second among all college towns for the number of free hotspots available to the public.

Matt Treaster, a Kansas University student from Pretty Prairie, uses the wireless Internet service Wednesday at La Prima Tazza, 638 Mass. A survey by MetroFreeFi.com has ranked Lawrence second among all college towns for the number of free hotspots available to the public.

“I love them,” Bates said while using a hotspot at Signs of Life, a downtown coffee and book shop at 722 Mass.. “I try to use one every day, or at least every other day.”

Lawrence ranked behind only Boulder, Colo., in the number of free hotspots. The online site lists 24 of them in Lawrence, but the site primarily relies on reports from users.

Patrick Knorr, general manager of Sunflower Broadband, said the total number of free hotspots likely was double that.

Sunflower alone – which is owned by The World Company, which publishes the Journal-World – provides hotspot service to 31 businesses and public buildings. Other providers in the community would push the total number higher.

• MetroFreeFi.com: Top 25 Free Wi-Fi College towns
• Sunflower Broadband Hot Spots
• KU wireless zones

“There is no doubt that there are people who like to work at hotspots,” Knorr said. “And a ranking like this definitely looks good on paper. It sends the message that we’re a high-tech community.”

If you’re not a coffee drinker, no problem. In Lawrence, you can connect to the Internet while quenching your thirst at a local tavern, catch up on e-mails while having your car’s oil changed or even log on while the kids are swimming at the city’s Indoor Aquatic Center.

Denis Hiller, a spokesman with Sunnyvale, Calif.-based MetroFreeFi.com, said the ranking shows Lawrence is positioned well for the future. He said hotspot usage is destined to grow as technology companies continue to make more devices that rely on wireless Internet access.

He said PlayStation already has a portable device that allows users to wirelessly connect to the Internet and play against gamers from around the world. MP3 players that will allow consumers to download music from hotspots aren’t far behind, and advances in voice-over-Internet phone service could make hotspots a cheap way to place phone calls.

Lawrence’s ranking could make it more likely the city will see the latest and greatest wireless gadgets sooner than other cities because Hiller said “college students are definitely leading the way” in wireless usage.

But for the time being, laptops used to surf the Internet and check e-mail are the norm.

“It seems like everyone comes in with their laptops hoping that we have a hotspot,” said Todd Rose, an employee at Henry’s, 11 E. Eighth St., which is one of many downtown coffee shops that offer the service. “It’s a good deal. You can sit in a coffee shop and do your homework. It makes it a little more enjoyable.”