Municipal Wi-Fi thrives ­ on a small scale

MUNICIPAL WI-FI THRIVES -- ON A SMALL SCALE
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Chris Gaylord]
The dream that free wireless Internet hubs would blanket downtowns across the country abruptly faded for several cities this summer. In San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, and St. Louis, plans that were supposed to make Wi-Fi access as cheap and ubiquitous as tap water seemingly all fell apart at the same time. With the collapse of several major metropolitan projects, analyst forecasts for municipal Wi-Fi turned dark. Business models were unproven. Eager hype fizzled to dismissive pessimism. But not everywhere. While big-city Wi-Fi wilts, hundreds of smaller communities have fostered thriving networks. These success stories often take place in cities and counties few have ever heard of ­ Owensboro, Ky.; Rio Rancho, N.M.; Kutztown, Pa. Their town borders don't extend very far, their populations are relatively small, and their main streets may be unglamorous. But in many ways, that's how they pulled off what most metropolises have not.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0913/p13s01-stct.html