When Minneapolis began building its municipal wi-fi network in 2006, locals like me had high hopes that it would offer a compelling and affordable alternative to broadband offerings from Comcast and Qwest (now CenturyLink). But the network’s success has been underwhelming, suffering from low subscriber numbers and competition from both wired and cellular providers. The wi-fi network couldn’t match the higher speeds offered by Comcast or the ubiquitous coverage offered by the cellular companies. A wi-fi network becomes much less essential when people can get online anywhere with their smartphones.
I still think municipal broadband can be a good idea, but perhaps Minneapolis should paid more heed to other cities that abandoned their plans to build wireless networks when they realized the technology doesn’t provide great coverage or speed. Or perhaps the city should have focused on developing hotspots in public places rather than attempting to ensure access for every resident.
