Experts debate municipal Wi-Fi efforts

[SOURCE: Network World, AUTHOR: Tim Greene]
Municipal Wi-Fi - free or cheap Wi-Fi access to the Internet set up by cities and towns for all to use - is a waste of taxpayer money, according to VON panelists opposed to these programs proliferating across the country. These wireless municipal endeavors stand little chance of being profitable and run the risk of driving up the cost of other municipal services in order to subsidize them, according to Tom Lenard, vice president of research for the Progress and Freedom Foundation. And they do little for the public that commercial broadband access doesn't already do, says Link Hoewling, assistant vice president of Verizon Business. "The market has worked well to improve access speed with good prices," he says.
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