[RTC List] Municipal Wi-Fi thrives - on a small scale

[Sean McLaughlin]

MUNICIPAL WI-FI THRIVES -- ON A SMALL SCALE
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Chris Gaylord]
The dream that free wireless Internet hubs would blanket downtowns 
across the country abruptly faded for several cities this summer. In San 
Francisco, Houston, Chicago, and St. Louis, plans that were supposed to 
make Wi-Fi access as cheap and ubiquitous as tap water seemingly all 
fell apart at the same time. With the collapse of several major 
metropolitan projects, analyst forecasts for municipal Wi-Fi turned 
dark. Business models were unproven. Eager hype fizzled to dismissive 
pessimism. But not everywhere. While big-city Wi-Fi wilts, hundreds of 
smaller communities have fostered thriving networks. These success 
stories often take place in cities and counties few have ever heard of – 
Owensboro, Ky.; Rio Rancho, N.M.; Kutztown, Pa. Their town borders don't 
extend very far, their populations are relatively small, and their main 
streets may be unglamorous. But in many ways, that's how they pulled off 
what most metropolises have not.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0913/p13s01-stct.html