Mar 232008
The municipal Wi-Fi craze that spurred cities to make ambitious plans for creating far-reaching wireless networks appears to be sputtering, according to the Times. Major Internet providers like Earthlink are pulling out of municipal projects, leaving many networks unfinished or left on the drawing board. The article does point to Minneapolis as one of the few remaining bright spots on the municipal Wi-Fi landscape. Here, construction on the network is nearly complete (some dead zones must still be filled in) and ten thousand people have signed up for wireless service.
The Times article paints a downcast picture for municipal wireless, but this a bump in the road. Minneapolis’ network and the public-private partnership behind it could become a model for other cities looking to provide affordable broadband to their residents. Once our current economic doldrums have passed, we’ll see renewed interest in making broadband affordable to everyone, just like any other public utility.
Happy Easter.
I’ve been wanting to switch to Minneapolis wi-fi, but each time I get close I am cautioned that it is not dependable. Any evidence to the contrary??? (I’d really like to drop my cable provider.)