Muni WiFi: One step forward, two steps back

Well, it certainly wasn't a happy week for people waiting for ubiquitous access to wireless Internet in major metropolitan areas. Chicago and San Francisco, two cities with major initiatives to provide citizens with free or inexpensive access to wireless network resources, announced setbacks in their plans. Problems in Chicago arose after the city was unable to reach an agreement with the two companies that submitted proposals: EarthLink and AT&T. It seems they both wanted Chicago to pay to use the WiFi network for internal services. While Chicago agreed to help the vendors build the infrastructure, city officials were not interested in bringing cash to the table, despite the fact that other cities like Philadelphia have done exactly that. In San Francisco, EarthLink refused to accept city-requested contract terms. While these are obviously setbacks, observers note that the key to these types of projects is starting small and focusing on a couple of applications--then expanding out.

For more on the how municipal WiFi is evolving:
- read this article at Ars Technica