- The city of Orlando, Florida, has decided to cancel a project that offered free wireless Internet service at a local park, saying that low usage made it financially unworkable. It was designed to let 200 people use it at once, but only about 27 people a day were accessing the service.
The cancellation is seen as ammunition for people who oppose municipal projects that would provide city-wide wireless Internet access.
However, the Orlando case isn’t necessarily the rule. The city of Philadelphia has reported strong usage of its service, and says that it has revitalized interest in the city as a place of doing business.
- KC's View:
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We don’t care if municipal wireless services are free or if they charge people in some way for usage.
We think that wireless cities are the way of the future. And contrary to those who say that municipalities have no business providing these kinds of services, we think that this is precisely the kind of service that government ought to provide. Good for business, good for education, and good for bold thinking that doesn’t keep its head in the sand.
