Muni Wi-Fi hits wall of economic and political realities

MUNI WI-FI HITS WALL OF ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REALITIES
[SOURCE: Computer World, AUTHOR: Matt Hamblen]
Municipal Wi-Fi systems, full of promise and hype over the past two years, have hit the wall of reality in the U.S. because of economics, politics and even the technology. That was the message conveyed by city administrators, Wi-Fi evangelists and even some vendors of Wi-Fi antennas, software and related technology at the MuniWireless 07: New England conference. Esme Vos, founder of MuniWireless.com, which organized the conference, said "Municipal Wi-Fi is coming to reality in the U.S. Everything with muni Wi-Fi last year was very theoretical, but when you get around to setting it up in your home town, administrators hit reality and say 'It is not as easy as I thought it would be." Vos was quick to tell conference attendees in brief remarks and reporters in interviews that none of the big U.S. cities with ambitious plans have fully deployed their networks. Some cities such as Philadelphia and San Francisco have begun falling short of lofty political goals to serve poor neighborhoods and to listen to grass roots political organizations as well, Vos and other attendees pointed out.
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