Houston Going Wireless Options

[theIncredibleEdi...]

HOUSTON (AP) - City officials said Tuesday they had struck a deal with EarthLink Inc. (ELNK) to build a citywide wireless Internet network that would eventually be the nation's largest at about 600 square miles.

Houston would join more than 250 communities across the nation that plan to or already offer wireless Internet to residents, businesses and government workers. Once completed, Houston's municipal Wi-Fi network would be the largest in North America, EarthLink officials said.

"You can certainly say things are bigger in Texas," said Craig Setters, an industry analyst and author of the book "Fighting The Good Fight For Municipal Wireless."

At an afternoon news conference, Mayor Bill White used the word "enormous," citing the estimated $50 million that EarthLink would invest in setting up the infrastructure and the 10,000 transmitters that will be placed on light and utility poles throughout the city. No taxpayer dollars would be spent the project, White said.

Referring to others cities that have built what White calls "Internet bubbles," the mayor said: "You could put all their square miles, add them up and double, and you'll come up with about the square miles of the city of Houston that will be covered by the project."

However, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also announced Tuesday that his city would create the "single largest citywide wireless network in the country." The city said it would hire a technology expert to seek private sector interest for the system, which would cover 400 square miles when completed in 2009.

Los Angeles later surrendered the bragging rights of the nation's largest Wi-Fi network to Houston.

"If they are 600 square miles, they are larger," said Villaraigosa spokeswoman Janelle Erickson.

White said Houston's endeavor would equalize access to technology, as well as benefit existing residential and business Internet users, who can enjoy lower subscription rates borne of competition.

If City Council approval and contract negotiations go as planned, EarthLink could begin building the city's infrastructure by mid-April, said Donald Berryman, president of the company's municipal networks division. The network is expected to be up and running by 2009.

EarthLink, as part of the agreement, will provide wireless Internet access to 40,000 low-income users for $10 a month or less.

Everyone else would be able to get the service through EarthLink or several other providers, including PeoplePC, Vonage and DirecTV. EarthLink's wholesale price for those providers will be about $12 per month; how much subscribers would have to pay depends on the individual offers the providers come up with, Berryman said. He estimates it would range from $14 to $21.95, the latter being what EarthLink expects to charge for a subscription.

Public areas like parks and libraries would host wireless Internet for free.

"It really takes us into the next era," Umesh Verma, chairman of the technology and infrastructure committee of the Greater Houston Partnership, said of the agreement. "We're going to be the nation's leader on what digital inclusion is."

Verma named some of what he called the "life-changing, life-enhancing" applications of this technology, including faster and increased access in the health care and real-estate industries. Verma predicts it will also spawn new products and services, which in turn will create jobs.

The city is slated to begin taking 3 percent of the wireless network's revenue a few years into the agreement, White said, which will be used to bridge the "digital divide" that exists for the low-income population. The city plans to develop programs that would, for example, provide laptops for people who could not otherwise afford one.

City officials said they chose Atlanta-based EarthLink over four other companies, partly because of its experience setting up broadband networks in other cities. EarthLink has Wi-Fi initiatives planned or under way in cities including Philadelphia; New Orleans; Alexandria, Va.; Anaheim, Calif.; and San Francisco.

[Divergent Realit...]

kinda cool and kinda scary.

[zetec]

it's not gonna work, verizon/comcast/some telco is gonna sue and it'll fall apart, just like every other major municipal wifi project ever, because the telcos suck and fuck fuck fuck fuck

[impala454]

how the hell could they sue the city for offering free wireless internet?

edit: nevermind, it's not even free. I guess reading the whole article helps

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/55753.html

[Hartmann]

I am interested in to see where this goes...

What I really wish would happen is that airports stop charging me for internet access. Places like Charlotte are really good with the free wireless, but the big airports see it as a money maker. When I get to one of those, it's tether time.

[chook]

I am interested in to see where this goes...

What I really wish would happen is that airports stop charging me for internet access. Places like Charlotte are really good with the free wireless, but the big airports see it as a money maker. When I get to one of those, it's tether time.

One of the reasons I hate DFW. I perfer to fly out of Love any day.

[zetec]

how the hell could they sue the city for offering free wireless internet?

edit: nevermind, it's not even free. I guess reading the whole article helps

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/55753.html

even if it was free, it's happened several times across the US, specifically in (i think) ohio and philly.

Something about the free wireless damaging their business while still using their pipes and them not getting compensation for it or something.

[impala454]

yeah... a coworker and i were going through the philly airport and it was like $8... it was well worth it though considering we had 5 hrs to spend there. would be a major rip off though if you were just passin through

[Seussninja]

Let me know when Houston gets hills and clean air then i'll move there

[jonathan83]

ah. i enjoy living in the largest wi-fi city in the world.

[Aaron]

I am interested in to see where this goes...

What I really wish would happen is that airports stop charging me for internet access. Places like Charlotte are really good with the free wireless, but the big airports see it as a money maker. When I get to one of those, it's tether time.

I read something on a technology blog that I frequent that some airports are even charging for electrical power... pretty shitacular.

[chook]

http://www.technologyevangelist.com/2007/0...o_charge_f.html

Funny thing Aaron, I had this idea for a senior project.