It's a Wi-Fi kind of town

[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune 2/17, AUTHOR: Jon Van]
The City of Chicago wants to blanket its streets and neighborhoods with a wireless Internet signal, granting residents and visitors access to the Web wherever they are--on streets, in homes, offices and shopping malls. Chicago's chief information officer said Thursday that the city will invite technology companies to submit proposals this spring on how to build and offer citywide wireless broadband, or Wi-Fi, as it's known. Analysts say that citywide wireless eventually could give thousands more people access to the Internet, improve the efficiency of the mobile workforce and spur technological advancements. Houston, for example, determined that a Wi-Fi network would allow it to create a low-cost parking meter operation that accepts debit or credit cards. It could also be another weapon in Chicago's battle to attract and retain businesses.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0602170153feb17,1,6912071.story?coll=chi-news-hed