Philadelphia city council OKs Wi-Fi plan
05-12-2006, 12:10 PM
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Philadelphia city council OKs Wi-Fi plan
Philadelphia’s city council has approved a contract for a citywide Wi-Fi network it hopes will stimulate the economy of the fifth-largest U.S. city and bring broadband Internet access to poor neighborhoods.
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The council unanimously approved the deal, under which Internet service provider EarthLink will pay for the network and operate it at no cost to the city, said EarthLink spokesman Jerry Grasso. An employee of the mayor’s office, who asked not to be named, confirmed the plan had been approved.
The contract must still be signed off by the City Solicitor and by Mayor John F. Street, but there are no more major political hurdles to be crossed, Grasso said. Street’s administration kicked off the citywide wireless initiative.
Philadelphia’s wireless plan inflamed a national debate over municipal networks, with established broadband providers criticizing the fairness and the business wisdom of governments getting involved in owning, operating or maintaining broadband systems. That controversy grew after San Francisco sought proposals for its own citywide wireless network and chose a plan by EarthLink and Google that would be partly supported by location-specific advertising. Elected officials in that city are now debating the proposal as the city negotiates a contract with the vendors.
Once Philadelphia’s wireless plan is approved by the mayor, EarthLink will seek permits and hopes to start rolling out the network in mid-June. The full infrastructure would be in place by the third quarter of next year, Grasso said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/200...NlYwN5bmNhdA--
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The council unanimously approved the deal, under which Internet service provider EarthLink will pay for the network and operate it at no cost to the city, said EarthLink spokesman Jerry Grasso. An employee of the mayor’s office, who asked not to be named, confirmed the plan had been approved.
The contract must still be signed off by the City Solicitor and by Mayor John F. Street, but there are no more major political hurdles to be crossed, Grasso said. Street’s administration kicked off the citywide wireless initiative.
Philadelphia’s wireless plan inflamed a national debate over municipal networks, with established broadband providers criticizing the fairness and the business wisdom of governments getting involved in owning, operating or maintaining broadband systems. That controversy grew after San Francisco sought proposals for its own citywide wireless network and chose a plan by EarthLink and Google that would be partly supported by location-specific advertising. Elected officials in that city are now debating the proposal as the city negotiates a contract with the vendors.
Once Philadelphia’s wireless plan is approved by the mayor, EarthLink will seek permits and hopes to start rolling out the network in mid-June. The full infrastructure would be in place by the third quarter of next year, Grasso said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/200...NlYwN5bmNhdA--
05-12-2006, 12:23 PM
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There are some AP already up but obviously get no service. I have seen them with my laptop.
Unfortunately, it is going to cost $20/month for regular users and $9.95/month for low income. Apparently the technology is outdated as well only supporting 100 people per AP.
We shall see how it goes when it is completed. This city is so ass backwards.
Unfortunately, it is going to cost $20/month for regular users and $9.95/month for low income. Apparently the technology is outdated as well only supporting 100 people per AP.
We shall see how it goes when it is completed. This city is so ass backwards.
05-12-2006, 02:37 PM
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Tempe, AZ already has wi-fi city wide, but it has not been rolled out yet to the public. I think only the police and fire department are the ones using it right now and the public should get access soon enough. if you don't want to pay you get 2 hours of free access. me personally, I'll just steal wi-fi from my neighbors that don't encrypt their connection.
