Cities Move Forward on Public Wi-Fi
Hurdles remain, but number of public networks continues to rise.
IDG News Service — Cities launching free wireless Internet access often face criticisms including high cost, flaky service and pandering to recreational Web surfers. But they can justify their investment by using the networks to support public safety radio traffic, attract new businesses and abolish the "digital divide" that can stop low-income workers from landing Internet-age jobs. That's the advice from government technology workers who gathered at the recent MuniWireless 2007 conference.
Ubiquitous wireless coverage can improve residents' lives, but surprise hurdles will arise, says Bill Oates, CIO for Boston. The city had been running its new Wi-Fi network for a month in the blocks surrounding the city hall when citizens complained that the Internet service provider's content filter blocked certain websites.
Cities can also face a challenge when the local historical society complains about a wireless antenna's appearance.
City workers in Malden, Mass., found a workaround to this hurdle, fitting a Wi-Fi antenna inside the storefront sign of a local bar. The business owner gladly donated the location in exchange for a strong signal, and the node boosted coverage in a heavily populated part of town, says Anthony Rodrigues, the city's director of information technology.
The politics of launching a wireless network can be a tougher challenge than technology, Rodrigues says. It's fairly easy to link the networks in neighboring towns to share coverage areas or fire response but much harder to get elected leaders to discuss funding or agree on control of the network, he says.
Until recently, public wireless networks have existed only in major cities with large budgets, including Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston and Portland, Oregon, says Esme Vos, founder of MuniWireless.com, a blog and sponsor of the conference.
But across the country, the number of municipalities with planned or deployed public broadband networks has risen from 122 in July 2005 to 385 as of May 2007, according to MuniWireless.
