E-rate funds bring technology to the classroom

[Commentary] There's a new tech bubble emerging nationwide, complete with eager Silicon Valley companies lining up to sell their wares, that could start deflating this morning. The bubble is forming around the notion of city-run WiFi wireless systems, where municipalities buy relatively inexpensive WiFi transmitters, stick them on light poles, and blanket their jurisdictions in a wireless Internet "cloud.'' These networks would reduce the cost of cities meeting their own wireless data needs, at least in theory, while offering low-cost Internet service to residents that undercuts the high-priced duopoly formed by big cable and DSL broadband providers. But Langberg offers some cautions. Wireless Philadelphia is behind schedule and over budget. More than a year after its launch, there are still no details on exactly how much the project will cost or how it will be financed. If the Philadelphia project fails, or ends up owned and operated by a private company, the muni wireless bubble could suddenly grow smaller. Cost-justified projects will move forward, while grandiose dreams will shrivel in the harsh light of fiscal reality.