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Municipal WiFi was once all the rage in city governments, but the networks currently in place are falling down where it matters most (poorer neighborhoods, of course) and those cities with time to back out are doing so. Chicago just called it quits.
"We realized - after much consideration - that we needed to reevaluate our approach to provide universal and affordable access to high speed Internet as part of the city's broader digital inclusion efforts," Chicago's chief information officer, Hardik Bhatt, said in a statement.The plan to blanket Chicago's 228 square miles with wireless Internet access was announced early last year when Chicago leaders said they hoped to become one of the largest cities to offer all-over access to the Web.
Springfield, IL is also bowing out.
And in Portland much of the city is already covered by a WiFi network, although expansion into new areas has stalled.
More than a year into Portland’s experiment with free wireless Internet, the digital divide holds firm. Northeast Portlanders remain underserved by free pornography, email scams and the Obama Girl’s uplifting message of…hope.The divide is clear. It runs north of Interstate 84 and east of North Portsmouth Avenue—an area served by Pacific Power, PacifiCorp’s local subsidiary.
After months of negotiations, the utility and the wi-fi provider, MetroFi, have failed to strike a deal for how much to charge MetroFi for drawing power to run its system. This has effectively halted the free network’s expansion into the poorer neighborhoods that were supposed to benefit from the free wi-fi. MetroFi and Portland General Electric, which powers portions of the city not covered by Pacific Power, already have struck a deal granting MetroFi discounted rates.
In Seattle we have a few random pockets of municipally-provided wireless access, but any expansion seems unlikely. Currently, Columbia City and the University District are covered (sorta), and according to a 2006 study things are going well in those locations:
Business Impact Seattle Wi-Fi has clearly added a valued service to the business districts. One-quarter of businesses surveyed have seen a positive impact on revenues and customer numbers. The impact on revenue has been greatest in Columbia City (36%) where there was the least amount of wi-fi previously provided and the greatest amount of marketing. The majority of businesses responded that they either saw no difference or were not sure. The wi-fi zone has also become a marketing tool for area realtors and businesses. Seattle Wi-Fi was used by employees and business owners, but provided access primarily as a service for customers. For most businesses, it has complemented but not replaced other Internet connections. For a few, it is their only access. With only one exception, Seattle Wi-Fi is viewed as positive for the districts. It is not viewed as a significant competitor to those who already had wi-fi, and is seen as overall beneficial to the district.
But on the city's website it says "There is currently no commitment from the city to provide citywide coverage. We are evaluating the Wi-Fi pilot project in terms of city goals and resources." Seattlest takes that to mean that the Columbia City and U District networks will eventually be re-evaluated and shut down. And that sucks, because pervasive metropolitan wireless allows people to work wherever they happen to be, which means they're less likely to drive downtown or to the Eastside.
The city's study of the WiFi networks it currently has in place doesn't say much about reducing road congestion, but what it does say is encouraging:
Seattle Wi-Fi saves time, gas and road congestion. Over half the users in the survey (53.3%) answered that the presence of Seattle Wi-Fi had saved them driving. An additional 23 users (10.3%) said that it will save them driving in the future now that they know about Seattle Wi-Fi; two-thirds (69.5%) of these were first time users.
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I don't think WiFi will ever be the right technology for municipal internet access. Getting good coverage with WiFi is a major challenge considering the short range of a given access point and all the noise in the 2.4 Ghz spectrum (other APs, microwaves, etc). Coverage problems also make it more expensive than you'd think to roll out.
Sure, free WiFi in the U-District is great, but even there I've found the service to be spotty.
I think we just have to grit our teeth and wait for new wireless technologies to mature (WiMax,3G,4G,etc.) at which point it will easier for municipalities to provide subsidized internet or finance the roll-out of infrastructure in a reasonable way.
just fyi, Colombia City establishments have wifi sponsored by Seattle City, the Business Bureau of Colombia City plus Rainer improvement project.