What does the future of citywide wireless Internet access look like? Will it be free? Publicly owned? Provided through government authorized monopolies? One citywide WiFi possibility that is gradually turning into a reality is in the works in Minneapolis right now.
Minneapolis recently wrapped up a debate over whether to build or contract for a city-owned WiFi system, or to contract for a citywide system through a private company. After much debate the Minneapolis City Council chose to forgo owning the WiFi system outright, and will instead contract with one of two Internet providers:
Earthlink or a Minnesota ISP,
US Internet.
The proposed ISP contracts requires the provider to contribute a portion of revenues to a fund dedicated to "closing the digital divide." I had a chance to attend a Digital Access Project in Minneapolis this past Thursday where issues related to how this fund could be best used to help provide Internet access to those without access today.
Some interesting issues beyond the technical challenges were brought up by participants:
- Computer supplies and Internet access aren't always the weakest link in the digital divide. Finding skilled people to staff computer labs is often a bigger challenge.
- Maintaining longer hours at computer access locations, including libraries and community centers is another ongoing challenge.
- Finding bilingual technically savvy people to staff computer labs is even tougher.
- Informal training that teaches people how to solve real-world problems has proven to be an effective training strategy in computer labs.
- Finding technically savvy people who are familiar with issues facing less computer literate individuals can be a challenge. For example, AmeriCorp volunteers tend to know little about IRS forms for Earned Income Tax Credits or how to research Medicare programs online.
Unfortunately, finding money to address the above issues is often tougher than finding money for more computer hardware since it isn't the most glamorous expenditures.
Minneapolis is now testing the services of both companies in select neighborhoods. Once deployed city wide, subscribers should be able to access the Internet from anywhere within the city using standard WiFi enabled devices.
Does your city provide a wireless network today? If so, how was it deployed?
If your city is working on a network, have you been involved in the process? What have you learned from the process?
Do you know of any creative ways to address the five challenges listed above?
