Texas: Houston goes pardner shopping

Following on the heels of Mayor's White's statement on election eve that Houston would go out seeking a partner to build a network, the hometown Houston Chronicle has covered the story twice in the last week. City seeking network partner for WiFi project and Steffy: Stance on competition is in what SBC does, not says.

With the success of the wireless network project in Corpus Christi, a couple of hundred miles down the coast, it's a wonder we don't see more coastal cities installing wireless networks. Maybe it's just a matter of time, and I think 2006 will see a lot of activity along our coasts. The flat lands found along the Gulf Coast make for good RF propagation (for insight on the impact of topography on a wireless mesh network, see also the UnwireMyCity Guide highlighted in Mesh Secrets Revealed: How Many Nodes Make a Network? elsewhere on this site). And the seasonal risk of hurricanes make a wireless network a valuable tool for coastal cities.

Expect a lot more coverage on this story, because this network will be big news. This project is a great fit for Houston, and Houston is a major city. Can Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Austin and the Rio Grande Valley be far behind? How about New Orleans, Bloxi, Tampa, Mami, Ft. Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, and on and on, up the Atlantic coast?

Posted on November 19, 2005 at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)

Kentucky's Governor Provides Broadband Leadership

Kentucky ranks 44th in its proportion of high-tech companies; 45th in household computer use; and 43rd in citizen Internet use. Improving the first point requires addressing the latter two. ConnectKentucky addresses each of these challenges, by first identifying needs across the Commonwealth and then implementing community-specific plans. This initiative will expand broadband infrastructure, increase computer and Internet adoption, and ultimately increase the number of technology companies and workers in Kentucky.

Regional, state, and national organizations will play an increasingly important role in the spread of broadband throughout the US. Witness the Commonwealth of Kentucky - although his state ranks low on most lists of progressive states, Kentucky's Governor Ernie Fletcher has demonstrated political leadership, taking the bull by the horns and creating an initiative to support his cities in bringing in broadband with the Connect Kentucky program to support technology growth in Kentucky. And the process they follow, first identifying needs, then implementing community-specific plans is exactly the process advocated on these pages. It makes sense - first identify the problem, then develop the solution - a solution custom tailored for each city's needs.

Despite the name of my website, I'm interested not only in unwired, but also wired networks, as made apparent by includion of fiber and BPL references on this site. And also, despite the name of my website, I believe that counties and states, as well as large associations and electric utilities with large service territories have a vested interest and a significant role to play in making broadband access widely available. This is not just a story about what cities are doing. As the momentum of the municipal broadband movement grows, watch for larger groups to play an ever greater supporting role for cites, just like we see in Kentucky and other highly motivated states today.

Posted on September 30, 2005 at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

Texas: Addison in More Detail

Star-Telegram | 08/24/2005 | Debate arises over municipalities' actions on wireless networks This article digs a little deeper on the recent Addison wireless network deployment, profiled in a blog here yesterday. This article introduces the municipal broadband policy debate tie-in and discusses neighboring community projects. Recommended reading.

Posted on August 25, 2005 at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)

Texas: Addison Teams with RedMoon BB

Addison launches citywide Wi-Fi The City of Addison had a party yesterday, launching their wireless network in partnership with local wireless firm Red Moon Broadband. Red Moon has had success by building networks in a ring around Dallas, going where Internet access coverage can be spotty, but populations are dense and in need of broadband. But Addison is a new, more public-focused approach for Red Moon. This time they are working directly with the city to bring broad public wireless coverage with mesh networking equipment provided by Tropos Networks, not only providing affordable wireless broadband Internet access, but also providing coverage for public events, for the airport in Addison, etc.

Given the growing acceptance of this public/private approach, I would expect to see more and more deployments like this in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Posted on August 24, 2005 at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

Rhode Island: Providence Unwires

Providence buys $2.3-million Motorola wireless system Providence joins the ranks as the latest city to upgrade its public safety capabilities with a wireless network.

The Mobile Data Communications Network being purchased from Motorola will increase the speed of mobile data access by nearly 100 times, and it will allow for the transfer of digital video and other high-bandwidth applications, the company said.

The city currently uses a cellular digital packet data wireless communications system that transmits data at less than half the speed of a home dial-up modem. The new network is scheduled to be operational early next year.

Motorola's Mesh Networks technology will power the system.

Posted on August 24, 2005 at 07:55 AM

California: Clang, Clang, make way for Wi Fi throughout San Fran

How much do we love our cities? Just look what they do for us, and think of the images they conjure up. Cities are leading the way in innovation, especially with regard to wireless networks. San Francisco is the latest city to step up to the leadership podium. And we love our cities, fondly giving them nicknames as if they were sports teams. Let's hear it for the City by the Bay! And while we're at it, check out the City of Brotherly Love, which announced another elimination, as ATT bit the dust, leaving two contenders for their pioneering wireless project. (See MuniWireless coverage here).

City leaders like Mayor Newsome in San Francisco (and Mayor Street in Philadelphia) truly demonstrate leadership when they embark on their public campaigns to bring affordable broadband access to all of their constituencies. We may have left our hearts in San Francisco, but it seems that Mayor Newsome was thinking of If-I-can-make-it-here-I'll-make-it-anywhere New York, New York when he cited this project as a model for the US, just after it was noted that San Francisco's initiative seeks ubiquitous connectivity anywhere, anytime - an especially difficult challenge in a city renowned for its hilly topography.

So, just what is San Francisco up to? They announced yesterday an iniitative to conquer the digital divide in San Francisco, by providing universal affordable wireless broadband access over San Francisco's 49-square miles.

First order of business is a Request for Information and Comment (RFI) released today that launches a 45-day public process to define how San Francisco can meet its goal to provide a universal, affordable wireless broadband network to everyone. Mayor Newsome referenced this initiative as Phase One of a broader TechConnect strategy that will bring the promise of technology to low-income and disadvantaged citizens.

TechConnect will connect all San Franciscans to the social, educational, informational and economic opportunities available online by creating public/private partnerships to provide technology equipment to those residents who can least afford it; by providing tools to help users make sense of the incredible array of information found on the internet; and by providing training support to teach residents how to use and maintain the equipment necessary to access
the wealth of opportunity available online.

As I reviewed the documents related to yesterday's press announcement by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome, I had images of all my trips to San Francisco. I could hear the trolley and smell the seafood on the wharves from my first visit; feel the breeze on my face as I drank wine in Sausalito and admired the Golden Gate bridge and San Francisco skyline, warming up for my trip to Napa; taste the chocolate at Ghiradelli Square (buying souvenirs, of course); and savor that fantastic meal I had in Chinatown while in the Bay Area for my brother's wedding. Cities like San Francisco are icons for what cities can be, and it is good to see the mayor putting San Francisco in the spotlight as a leader and as an example with this new municipal wireless project.

First the City of Brotherly Love, the Twin Cities, now the City by the Bay. Which will be next? The Big Apple, the Windy City, the Big Easy, the City of the Angels, the Live Music Capital of the World? Our cities have a place in our hearts. They have personality and we give them nicknames. And I believe that our cities will show us the way to the future with wireless networks. (Check out the USA Directory and US City Resource Guide for nicknames and other interesting facts on cities.)

Download these relevant documents to learn more (you must be a Registered User to download, so register today - it's easy).

Download TechConnect Press Release

Download TechConnect RFI

Download TechConnect FAQ

Download TechConnect Fact Sheet

For more information, contact TechConnect directly:
1. visit the TechConnect website at www.sfgov.org
2. Contact TechConnect via phone at 415-554-5008
3. Contact TechConnect via e-mail at TechConnect@sfgov.org.

Posted on August 18, 2005 at 09:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Pennsylvania: Washington (PA, not DC) may get Wi Fi

The possibility of bringing Wi Fi access to Washington is about to be studied. Washington, PA, that is, not DC. City Council in this small Western Pennsylvania burg voted last week to undertake a feasibility and engineering study for WiFi access.

August Michel, an UnwireMyCity reader and wireless services company owner, has talked with me about how wireless is progressing in PA after strong anti-muni legislation was passed last year. He forwarded this item to me and we will be talking about how a city gets Wi Fi in coming days. His company, Confidential Consulting, will conduct the feasibility study. In addition to authorizing the feasibility study, council voted to have Double Radius do an engineering study.

Everyone is pulling together on this one. Washington Hospital ponied up $1,000 to defray the costs of the study. When the idea was first talked about in March, others who expressed interest included Washington & Jefferson College, Washington and Trinity Area school districts, Penn Commercial, Millcraft Industries, NASCO and Washington County Chamber of Commerce.

Michel will send area businesses a questionnaire in the next few weeks to assess their interest and how much they would be willing to pay for WiFi access. Practical applications of WiFi being discussed include being able to provide live video from either a police car or ambulance directly to a 911 emergency dispatch center or hospital. Other applications involve the use of security cameras. The city also is looking to be able to use WiFi instead of its Gamewell fire alarm system.

Posted on August 08, 2005 at 07:51 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Oregon: EZ Wireless covers 600 sq miles

When Pigs Wi-Fi - New York Times I had an image of the New York Times Pullitzer Prize-winning Nicholas Kristof in an ill-fitting cowboy hat, whizzing down an East Oregon highway in a pickup truck, with tie blowing in the breeze as he leaned out the window with his laptop to get a better wireless signal. In this editorial, Kristof plays up the "rural" angle, from the title to the ending line: The fact is, unless you're a cowboy here in eastern Oregon, you're behind the times. But never did I see him look down his nose at his rural brethren. Rather, he looked up to them for their innovation and accomplishments, and chastised urban leaders in the US for falling behind those out in the sticks.

Could we possibly see the rural areas take the lead in this new wireless movement, and the urban areas as laggards? It could easily happen, and here's why. One hundred years ago, technology was much more basic, and the rural areas were relatively much more backward. So when electricity came along, with its high infrastructure costs, investors formed corporations and went after major urban areas, same with telephone networks and cellular networks in later years. It took LBJ's political weight and the hard work of municipal utilitites, as well as rural electric and telephone cooperatives to get modern services extended out into the country.

We can expect wireless network penetration to be different, however. It actually helps that rural areas are lacking in broadband now (demand) and that their populations are less dense, their territories less attractive to the big guys (less competition). First, wireless in its new forms (Wi Fi Mesh and WiMAX) is dramatically less expensive to install than wired networks, and goes in much quicker. Second, technology has matured and not only do we have a tremendous array of tools at our disposal, we also have lots of lessons on how to "get the job done" from an entrepreneurial perspective. Third, low barriers to entry mean that smaller providers will be there when rural area governments or businesses decide they need wireless networks. Web sites like mine are trying to raise the awareness level of the potential of such public-private partnerships and soon the benefits of such networks will be more and more common knowledge.

So Kristof poses an interesting challenge - how will urban wireless networks develop? and when? We're waiting on some RFPs to wind their way through the process, and this is a key challenge in larger cities - this is territory worth fighting for, and cable and telecom incumbents will do all in their power to slow any interlopers on "their turf." I expect prices to come tumbling down where wireless networks are installed. And I expect prices to come down when cable and telecom DSL start to slug it out. Just not as fast.

This prevailing view is shared by an accommodating FCC, which views an unshackled duopoly of cables and telecom DSL providers as the quickest route to broadband, equating deregulation with competition. So as you listen to the telecom establshment talk about a broadband blowout prize fight between the cables and the telecom DSL heavyweights following the DSL ruling on Friday, don't be surprised if the rollout of broadband doesn't happen quite as quickly as you might expect.

There are political hurdles to overcome and a duopoly, if that is what we end up with in urban areas, can be expected to move at its own pace, especially if the telecoms stick to their Fiber to the Home or Fiber to the Curb plans. There will most likely be further excuses for why penetration is not proceeding apace, now that they have slain the regulatory dragon. "Progress takes time," you can almost hear them say.

Urban areas will no doubt get their wired broadband, and in time prices will creep down, and some wireless networks as well. But for now, as Kristof suggests, wireless networks in rural areas seem like a sure thing. It may be that to get on a wireless network for free or next to free in the next two years, you will have to get in the car and drive ten miles out of town. Wouldn't that be ironic, for those who witnessed electricity's rollout 100 years ago, to witness today?

Posted on August 07, 2005 at 05:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Indiana: Town Interested in Broadband

Columbia City eyes offering broadband Getting broadband is contagious, as this local article suggests. When neighboring Auburn put in a broadband system to meet the needs of a major employer, it raised eyebrows and interest at neighboring Columbia City. Like a virus, in a positive vein, municipal broadband has the potential to spread throughout the nation.

This is a new category, to organize articles by state. This series of local profiles organized by state provides you one more way to find a project, RFP, or activity that is in your backyard.

Posted on August 06, 2005 at 09:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Illinois: BPL to the Rescue?

Chicago Defender / Local Take on BPL What's more interesting than the facts on BPL presented herein (not much new) is the fact that governmental groups like the Illinois Commerce Commission are actively looking into technologies like BPL. Illinois has a problem and is doing something about it.

Ford then cited statistics from the Federal Communications Commission, which concluded that Illinois ranked 27th in broadband penetration. Considering that Illinois is the nation's sixth most populous state, the commissioner added, this finding proved disturbing.

So, they invited experts in to give them a BPL tutorial. Good for them. I call that progress. I hope they encourage their electric utilities to get a move on!

Posted on August 04, 2005 at 05:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Louisiana: Lafayette Fiber Shows How a Muni Initiative is Won

How David beat Goliath Going straight to the source is always the best. In this article, a local paper goes in depth to describe how Lafayette was successful in taking on the big boys. This is the best, most detailed How-To-Guide article for city network wannabes that I've read in a while. I'd read this, then read it again, then go back and take notes.

Posted on August 04, 2005 at 04:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Utah: Utopia - 10 Mbs for $40/month

UTOPIA The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) is a consortium of 14 Utah cities engaged in deploying and operating a 100% fiber optic network to every business and household (about 140,000) within its footprint. Operating at the wholesale level, this project is probably the best example of a Wholesale Lease Model, wherein the government simply builds the infrastructure then makes it available to ISPs to come in to lease access and provide service.

The strategy is to enable multiple competitors who will compete and bring the prices down and service levels up - a true market-based scenario. Philadelphia will follow this model as well with their new wireless network. This approach supports open access and promotes competition in all telecommunications services.

Broadband News: Broadband Utopia in Utah reports dramatically low rates in Utah as a result of the Utopia Project. Let's see, 10 Mbs @ $40/month = $4/Mbs/month...that has to be the cheapest broadband available in the US. Compared to my $48/month for cable broadband, I'd say I'm paying a little too much - like about, say, 10 times too much. And many in rural areas would consider $48/month a bargain. Cases like this show how dramatic the possibilties are.

Posted on August 03, 2005 at 11:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Florida: From Miami Vice to Miami Nice - Miami Beach, that is

Wireless Miami Beach Check it out - the little town of Miami Beach has a potentially high-profile project that should be worth watching. They may be little, but a lot of money and tourists go through this "hot spot" each year. I can envision some killer tourist applications: Location-based services, maps, city guides, multilingual services, etc. As much excitement there is around deploying these networks, the really good stuff will come when we see new applications that affect how we live.

Posted on July 21, 2005 at 08:21 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Louisiana: Public's Voice Rings Out "I want my broadband!"

With turnout estimated at 12%, a full 27% of the registered voters in Lafayette actually turned out to vote yesterday. And the results? A resounding 62 percent in favor of having their city commit to a $125 million project to extend fiber to their homes, thus providing a big fat pipe for the content of the 21st Century. Dispelling any doubt about how the public feels about taking control of their destiny and taking a risk on a large public project, the vote says it all: 62% for, 38% against.

The echoes of this vote are likely to be loud and long, as the politicians at state and federal levels debate whether local governments should have the right to bring broadband infrastructure to their constiuencies. The incumbent telecom and cable companies spoke loud and clear by lobbying state legislatures to keep cities out of the picture, in what may come to be deemed Round One of the Great Broadband Revolution. They said, "We have this under control, wait for us to bring broadband to you."

Lafayette voters responded, saying, "No thanks, BellSouth and Cox Cable, we can't wait for you, we're going to do it ourselves." Will Lafayette's popular vote prove to be the bellwether on where this war will go, the "shot heard 'round the world" as at Lexington & Concord 230 years ago?

Only time will tell, but for now, the margin of victory is compelling, and for the people of Lafayette, LA, the results hold the promise of a broadband content-filled tomorrow. Score one for local democracy! This vote puts Lafayette, LA on the map.

Posted on July 17, 2005 at 10:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

France: Parlez-Vous Wi Fi? ... Oui, Un Petit Peu

It is amazing how physical distance disappears out on the Internet. I came across MunicipalNet, a French municipal wi fi site because they referenced my new website. Using Site Tracker, a software for managing websites, I found a reference to my site a week or so ago on MunicipalNet. This is part of the continuing, amazing journey of publishing a website and finding oneself a part of a larger community that you did not know existed.

I wonder how many other international sites there are out there? I'll begin a search and catalogue effort. There may well be some convenient resources out there, but it may also take a little time. Even though English has become the international business language, I'd like to find non-English sites for those who would prefer same. Please let me know and I'll start an international (foreign language) section on this site, OK?

By the way, I've communicated with Bruno Formi, Technical Director at Atawad Networks and author of the blog, and he's informed me that the French market for Muni Networks is very difficult, as it's limited to 100mw for Wifi, and for Wimax there is no license free spectrum option as there will be in the US. Forni explained that the situation is changing slowly for the better, as a new law authorizes a town or region to be a telecom operator and he predicts that the 5 GHz spectrum, now owned and controlled by the military, may be opened up by the end of year.

So if you prefer a francophone perspective, be sure to check out MunicipalNet! Allons-y, mes amis! Vive le Wi Fi!

Posted on July 12, 2005 at 10:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Texas: Houston's Centerpoint testing BPL with IBM

WOAI: San Antonio News - Houston Testing "BPL" Internet Service Add yet another major electric utility expressing serious interest in broadband communications, specfically broadband over power lines or BPL. On the heels of the $100 million investment this week by Google and others in Current Communications, a BPL-oriented service company working with Cinergy in Cincinnatti, this Houston electric utility has indicated its desire to understand better the potential of BPL to help with meter reading and outage management. The estimated $200 million price tag, however, means that a BPL solution would still be a ways off for Centerpoint. This is one more indicator, however, of the interest and potential of BPL and utility broadband in general.

Posted on July 10, 2005 at 06:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ohio: Shocking Information: Huge Cash Injection into BPL Firm

Google invests in power-line broadband CNET News.com analyzes reports issued today that Current Communications, arguably the leader in broadband-over-powerline (BPL) has received a massive cash infusion from Google and other investors. It appears that Google doesn't do anything in a small way, as the investment was to the tune of $100 million.

What does this mean for Current? All good (hey, it's $100 MILLION, that's eight zeros after a one). Now they will have more time to wait for the slow-moving BPL market to catch fire and for their business plan of engaging electric utilities to unfold.

What does this mean for BPL? Perhaps 2005 will be its year after all. The timing is perfect, as cable and DSL networks appear to be closing off to third parties.

What does this mean for Google? Here's an opportunity to drive the broadband infrastructure market from a different angle and stake a claim in a new distribution arm for high bandwidth content.

What does this mean for Verizon, SBC, Comcast, and Time Warner and all the other incumbents, still enjoying the events of last week after the Brand X decision protected cable infrastructure? Hold on to your hats, folks, we will have some competition in this market. This move by Google and company is one more indicator of the structural change I've referenced on this site. Digital content will be distributed over the Internet and more and more, it will complement, or even displace current distribution methods.

Something tells me that the second half of 2005 is going to be even more interesting!

Posted on July 07, 2005 at 05:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Nevada: Wireless Gambling in Las Vegas

Even Poolside, Casinos Entice by Hand-Held - New York Times This has a sense of inevitablity to it. Internet gambling is moving to the handheld unit. While some will no doubt view this as evidence of our progress towards ever more personal freedom, and others will see one more slip down the slippery slope of moral decline, I prefer to note it as part of the inevitable march towards making more content available on the Internet and making more content available over mobile platforms. While this article talks about mobile applications inside the casino Hot Spot, it is evidence of a compelling application moving to a smaller and more mobile platform.

Posted on July 02, 2005 at 08:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Florida: Case Studies on Municipal Broadband

I was looking through my files and came across a couple of good white papers that were circulated in Florida during the legislative debate a few months ago. I like them because they are well written and have good background information on the issue of municipally owned networks, and in particular, data on the economic benefits of a wireless broadband network for a city.

The Case for Municipal Broadband succinctly states the argument for municipal broadband.

Broadband Economic Development: An Economic Case Study is a more academic look at the economic impact of a municipal broadband network. Highly recommended because of the quantitative approach.

Posted on June 29, 2005 at 09:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Minnesota: Go Moorhead Broadband

Go Moorhead is the brainchild of Moorhead Public Service, which services Moorhead, Minnesota, just across the river from Fargo, North Dakota. This small municipally-owned utility provides us all with an example of the possibilities when a community works together to meet its own needs.

Communications Director Jennifer Walz presented the details of their project at the American Public Power Association Annual Meeting in Anaheim last week (6/19-22). Jennifer, who also does improv comedy on the side, held the crowd's attention as she walked through the details of how affordable and manageable a community network can be.

Jennifer described a series of events that must be all too familiar to small communities around the US. Faced with the inability to get traditional providers to provide Moorhead with high speed internet access, the town leaders investigated installing a fiber system in Moorhead, but could not make the business case provide a reasonable rate of return, so they abandoned their plans.

But taking yet another look at the issue in the past year, they discovered that wireless broadband now provided the speed and coverage they needed at an affordable cost.

How did they make the business case work? On the revenue side, they worked with city government and the Univ of Minnesota at Moorhead, establishing two anchor tenants who would cover enough of their costs to make a solid business case to bring broadband access to their citizens.

On the expense side, they not only used affordable wireless technology by Tropos Networks, but also worked the project through their locally-owned electric utility, where they could take advantage of the utility's fiber optic ring that circles the city for connecting to the Internet (also known as backhaul), and its poles and street lights for mounting the network's wireless equipment.

Jennifer spent considerable time discussing the interaction with the community that they feel is essential to the long-term success of their project, because they need the community's citizens to embrace this new service and subscribe in order to meet their conservative financial projections. I wrote about this in the recent article about setting up a community blog.

If you need broadband for your town and already have your own municipal electric utility, you would be well advised to look further into this case study as an example of how to proceed. And, Jennifer will probably provide you with a few good laughs while you're at it!

Posted on June 25, 2005 at 04:52 AM | TrackBack

California: Broadband Broadcasting, Podcasting in Newport, CA

I was fortunate to accompany a group on a boat tour of Newport Harbor last Tuesday night (6/21), as a guest of the folks at Laguna Broadcasting Network, a new kind of community network that is springing up around the US to take advantage of metropolitan mesh network infrastructure.

It was a delightful evening. The natural beauty of the sunset harbor cruise was accompanied by interesting demonstrations of Wi Fi Mesh technology by Tropos Networks, with a mesh node mounted to the mast of the yacht, enabling Voice over Wi Fi telephony and video transmission on large screens on the lower deck. We enjoyed unique video presentations by local artists: in cooperation with the local community college, LBN is producing orignal local content for broadcast to the local community.

Wireless computer networks that serve and support the particular needs and concerns of local citizens and businesses are popping up as a new kind of broadcasting, unlike what we grew up with watching TV in the 60s, or even cable in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Whereas ABC, CBS, and NBC worked with local affiliates to present a mix of content (national network, syndicated, and local news, weather, and sports), these new networks showcase local talent and events, and offer such interactive features as podcasting (content for download) and live coverage of events that would only interest the local community.

Subscriptions to LB Net go beyond the standard High Speed Internet Access (which they make available with prepaid cards at four cents/minute). Besides live webcasts of community events and scheduled programs of community interest, there are news headlines and reporting, on-demand audio and video archives, community personalities, political coverage, and local business advertising on an interactive downtown map.

In Laguna Beach, small is beautiful.

Posted on June 25, 2005 at 04:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Minnesota: Review of Municipal RFPs

Minneapolis Plans to Go Wireless Philadelphia and Minneapolis RFPs are prgressing - this article dates back to before they were issued, opines on how things will go. Both cities' plans reflect a trend in turning to outside sources to fund, deploy and manage the network. By not relying on taxpayer money, the cities avoid direct conflict with telecoms and cable companies that have fought such plans with well-financed ad and public relations campaigns claiming they waste taxpayer dollars.

Posted on June 18, 2005 at 10:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Lousiana: Baby Steps

Local News - The Lafayette Daily Advertiser - www.theadvertiser.com Bell South and broadband proponents have a long history of disagreement in this neck of the woods, but there are signs of progress on the horizon. This article describes the talks regarding bringing Fiber to the Home (FTTH) for residents - as with most of these projects, which can be very expensive, risk is a prime topic of discussion, as planners ponder how the bond holders will be repaid.

Posted on June 16, 2005 at 09:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Virginia: Small is Beautiful - How to Stretch $20K

Alexandria Goes Wireless On the Washington Post editorial page, an experiment in local government is detailed. City leaders in Alexandria, VA, just down the road from the US capital, have installed a test metropolitan mesh network using Tropos gear to experiment with city services, and opened it to the public for free broadband Internet service for part of Old Town, the downtown entertainment district. According to the editorial: The network, covering eight blocks of King Street, will serve as a laboratory for new technologies that could reduce costs and increase efficiency in years to come. Among the wireless innovations the city is exploring are sensors that can tell if a traffic light has stopped functioning and report instantaneously to traffic monitors. Advances in parking meter enforcement, fire truck and ambulance dispatching, and even trash collection could arise out of a citywide wireless network, but first Alexandria officials want to try out the new devices in a small area to see if they would be worthwhile investments. Could this be a model for cities to dip their toe in the water and let their citizens experiment as well? You bet it could! This kind of experiment is in any town's budget. Let's go, America!

Posted on June 16, 2005 at 09:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Map of Municipal Wireless Projects in the US

Municipal broadband and wireless projects map | CNET News.com Check out your state and see how you compare!

Posted on June 12, 2005 at 05:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack