I love free Wi-Fi and abhor any establishments that continue to cling to the antiquated idea of a paid service. I can get Wi-Fi at McDonalds, the city park, local libraries, and even the Jiffy Lube down the road has Wi-Fi. Now everyone's favorite green and yellow gas station - BP - is joining in the fun, offering free wireless access at select locations.

Ruckus Wireless and HarborLink have reached a deal with the North American sector of BP to hook up their gas stations with free Wi-Fi access. The companies have been introducing Wi-Fi to a number of BP stations for the past several months, and plan to formally announce their partnership on Monday.

Eventually, they hope to equip nearly 9,000 corporate and franchised BP stations in North America.

So what's in for them? By offering free wireless internet access, BP hopes that their customers stick around a little bit longer and spend more money. Maybe you'll hang out in the car a little longer, surf the web and check your email, and then discover that you're thirsty and pop in the store for a drink and a snack.

The service is ad-supported, so when you log-in you aren't required to have purchased gasoline to get access. Instead you'll be shown various ads and promotions.