An alternative to San Francisco's Wi-Fi deal

AN ALTERNATIVE TO SAN FRANCISCO'S WI-FI DEAL
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle 1/29, AUTHOR: Becca Vargo Daggett, Institute for Local Self-Reliance]
[Commentary] San Francisco Supervisors who would reject the Earthlink-Google deal now have an alternative. The central conclusion of a recent report from the San Francisco budget analyst is that a municipally owned wireless network is fiscally feasible. But equally important for the upcoming Board of Supervisors' vote is the report's conclusion: that the process leading to the Earthlink-Google deal was profoundly flawed. The result of this flawed process is the inadequate Earthlink-Google deal, which accomplishes little more than the most basic goal of free Internet access. The free service is decidedly slow: half the speed of the DSL access AT&T is now required to sell for $10 per month, under terms imposed on its acquisition of BellSouth, and one-third the speed available for free in neighboring communities. The need for a wireless bridge device, to bring the outdoor wireless signal indoors, forces low-income households either to buy such a device for $80 to $200, or subscribe to the paid service at $22 per month. Both these options limit the number of low-income individuals who will use the network. The network also limits potential competition.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/0...

* See "Localizing the Internet: Five Ways Public Ownership Solves the U.S. Broadband Problem"
http://www.ilsr.org/pubs/pubsrecent.html