Citywide Wi-Fi

By the summer of 2006, according to a report from Reuters, the city of Philadelphia will be the first American metropolis to offer citywide internet access for only $16-20 per month--roughly half the price currently charged by the telecom monopolies. Estimated project cost: $15 million to set up antennas on streetlight poles throughout the city's 135-square-mile area. Of course, not everyone is happy with the developments, including some city lawmakers who believe the government is neither equipped nor has the money to offer such services to its citizens and should let Verizon Communications or Comcast Corporation bid on the project first.

The city of Minneapolis is considering its own citywide Wi-Fi project with the costs, construction, ownership, and operation of the system awarded to the business with the most attractive bid. Philadelphia mayor John Street, also quoted in the Reuters report, disagrees with this approach: "People want to be connected and we think it is our obligation to provide that kind of access."

If the citywide Wi-Fi system is profitable, look for two overlapping outcomes: 1) other cities will circumvent the telecom giants and offer their own internet services to the general public 2) and more people will again realize local governments can sometimes offer basic services more cheaply and efficiently than private enterprise can.

Joel Hanson