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Persuading A City To Go Wireless?

Posted by timothy on from the what's-your-value-proposition dept.

An anonymous reader submits "We keep reading about cities dishing out free wireless; Philadelphia, San Francisco, Austin, TX, and many, many others. But how does one go about forming a group to get their city to go wireless? Looking around, there are a few articles out there, but most deal with selling it to businesses. I haven't been able to find a definitive guide to "Getting your city to go wireless". So I send my plea out to the Slashdot community - just how does one go about getting your city to go wireless?"

12 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Need by regjoe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The first point you need to sell on is need. Can private business fill the need in the area, if not, then Govenment has the responsibility to listen to its citizens and make an informed decision. I would personally like my ton to offer this, but we already have companies providing it. Govenment should not compete with private business over such matters.

    --
    Indecision may, or may not be my problem! -- Jimmy Buffett
    1. Re:Need by RollingThunder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Govenment should not compete with private business over such matters.

      I disagree. When things are best provided as a localized monopoly, I would rather the government (yes, with it's inherent inefficiencies, which are magnitudes less than rabid conservatives would have you believe) have that monopoly, than a for-profit company that will eventually abuse that monopoly.

      You can prevent the company from abusing the monopoly with government regulation, true - but then you're spending money to regulate the industry. Better you just do it yourself, via the government.

  2. Offer to pay for it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm serious. Cities have better things to spend the tax money on, if you really want it to happen then find other people that feel the same way and offer to fund it.

  3. Tourist hot spots? by NoInfo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'd start by trying to get the most touristy areas covered by wireless. Beaches, Main street, historic district, etc.

    It's much more likely to happen there since most cities have no problem providing this sort of support to non-citizens.

    Over time, this might grow to your local parks and hang-out areas.

    --
    bug.gd: error search engine. Humanity working together to solve all errors.
  4. A city is a business. by mind21_98 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Except that it doesn't usually make a profit. Just convince it that it'll bring in business people and the like and increase city revenues. Of course, if your city's a hick town in the middle of nowhere or fairly small, it might not be popular, especially if it's going to be geared towards business people (no offense).

    --
    US businesses that currently accept chip and PIN/signature
  5. You don't by cbelle13013 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No offence to any government working /.ers that operate the computers, but having the government offer "free" wireless internet is a horrible idea.

    Besides tax dollars being used to kill the competition, you'll end up with a low quality service. The same types of people that work at the DMV will work at the Municpal Internet Department. I'm not talking about the techies that know what they're doing, I'm strictly talking customer support.

    Also, why would you want to give the government easier access to your internet data? Most of the folks here are adamently against the Patriot Act, but free governemnt sponsored wireless seems to be okay?

    My company uses Verizon with the EvDO cards and have "wireless" everywhere we go, at near cable speeds. Its $80 a month and I get a real human to answer the tech support line after i prompt for English. AT&T and others have very similar solutions.

    I can only imagine tech support through the government.

  6. Justification by Agilis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A good part of it is justifying the cost of doing such a project for what might be little benefit to city budget committees who are always strapped for cash. Other than "hey look we're tech savy come here!" what benefit do you derive from paying for free wireless upkeep in a metro area?

  7. Simple .... Money! by polyp2000 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But how does one go about forming a group to get their city to go wireless?

    Tell them that its a great way to make MONEY...

    $$$$$

    --
    Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
  8. Resistance by Anonymous+Writer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wouldn't mobile phone network providers lobby against this sort of thing? If a city went wireless, portable WiFi VoIP devices could be used as an alternative to mobile phones, without the call charges. Since mobile phone carriers have deep pockets and people wanting a city to go wireless wouldn't have as much influence, chances are politicians would go in favor of maintaining "soft money" lobbyists protecting their source of revenue.

  9. Does anyone else think this is a bad idea? by nenya · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Talk about your massively insecure network...

    Do we really want to encourage everyone in an entire city to take part in a single network which seems almost inherently insecure? I can't imagine they'd use any kind of WEP, as that would defeat the purpose of having a city-wide network. I know I feel a lot safer behind my router's firewall than I ever do warchalking.

    1. Re:Does anyone else think this is a bad idea? by OrangeSpyderMan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Talk about your massively insecure network...

      Wake up and smell the coffee. The internet is as insecure as it comes - anything you don't feel comfortable sending across WiFi you shouldn't send across the Internet either. WiFi has the advantage that only people in your neighbourhood can break in - that's heaven when you compare it to the internet :-) Encryption exists, use it, you should do anyway if it has to go through the internet - no difference.

      --
      Try NetBSD... safe,straightforward,useful.
  10. no need to persuade them by wikinerd · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Instead of whining and trying to persuade "the dad" to provide us with wireless, isn't it easier to build it up by ourselves?
    There is no need to persuade them to go wireless if they don't want. They see the initial infrastructure cost and are afraid of it, but I think we (the ppl) can volunteer to build up a city network.
    Just sacrifice some of your $$ to buy equipment and find some friends in the neighboorhood to start a small wireless network. Then, find more friends to join the network and collect money to buy more equipment. Be sure not to break any laws and not to allow piracy etc, so that your network will survive. After your network grows, startup a nonprofit to collect donations etc and buy a fatpipe to connect it to the Internet.
    There are already many projects working like this and they succeed. When they grow up, they even get the gov support and if they are lucky they may even get founding etc :)
    volunteerism is always better. This is clearly shown in cases like BSD and GNU and Linux and open content encyclopaedias where unpaid volunteers create much better products than business solutions etc.
    See an example in EU: http://www.awmn.gr/