In some schools in the UK, they are unplugging Wi-Fi because of health concerns for the teachers and students. Now comes this report that hits more to some of my concerns months ago.
Report warns 'free' Wi-Fi could spell trouble: "Report warns 'free' Wi-Fi could spell troubleBut on another front, it was good to hear that the University of Pittsburgh is rolling out Wi-Fi in Oakland and at each of its branch campus settings.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
By Corilyn Shropshire, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Cities thinking about launching a wireless Internet network should know that Wi-Fi rarely comes without strings attached.
A study released yesterday by free-market think tank the Reason Foundation cautioned that municipalities should make sure the projects are both technologically and financially viable before jumping into the Wi-Fi fray.
Whether the Wi-Fi network is free or financed with taxpayer dollars, 'If officials get into the broadband [Internet] business, they are entering a field where the technology they bought today is obsolete tomorrow,' said Adrian Moore, a vice president of research at the Los Angeles-based foundation and one of the report's authors."
I love the idea that Pitt is doing Wi-Fi. That's who should be doing it -- because Pitt isn't really a governmental entity.
Note that the plans for a city-wide network, one that I'd fully support, have not been announced. I'd love to eat my words and see a Wi-Fi everywhere in the city, if not the county. But, I won't hold my breath.
The original report: Reason.org/wifibroadband/.
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Report warns 'free' Wi-Fi could spell trouble
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
By Corilyn Shropshire, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Cities thinking about launching a wireless Internet network should know that Wi-Fi rarely comes without strings attached.
A study released yesterday by free-market think tank the Reason Foundation cautioned that municipalities should make sure the projects are both technologically and financially viable before jumping into the Wi-Fi fray.
Whether the Wi-Fi network is free or financed with taxpayer dollars, "If officials get into the broadband [Internet] business, they are entering a field where the technology they bought today is obsolete tomorrow," said Adrian Moore, a vice president of research at the Los Angeles-based foundation and one of the report's authors.
In September, a privately funded outdoor Wi-Fi network was launched throughout Downtown, parts of the North Shore and the Hill District by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. The neighborhood advocacy group paid Louisville, Ky.-based US Wireless Online roughly $500,000 build the network, which offers two hours of free Web surfing. US Wireless is responsible for operating the network and plans to generate revenue by selling ads and subscriptions. Plans for a citywide network have not been announced.
Hundreds of municipalities around the country are considering blanketing their city limits with Wi-Fi access -- some paid for with taxpayer dollars and others financed by Internet and telecom companies aiming to make money from building and operating the network.
But the report warns of companies such as Google and Earthlink offering to build free Wi-Fi networks, saying such partnerships could mean trouble. Some cities could be signing over exclusive access to public assets such as light and telephone poles when allowing a company to build and operate the network -- a move that could block other providers from competing, said Jerry Ellig, one of the report's authors and a senior researcher at Fairfax, Va.-based George Mason University.
The report outlined some factors municipalities should consider before offering Wi-Fi access, including knowing what and who they are competing against.
Areas where high-speed broadband is widely available could mean companies with deeper pockets and faster technology will see the municipal Wi-Fi network as a competitor -- to squash.
(Corilyn Shropshire can be reached at cshropshire@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1413.)
http://www.reason.org/wifibroadband/
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