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Oakland County to go Wireless
y00nix writes "Oakland County, MI has plans to roll out a wireless Internet access program dubbed "Wireless Oakland" covering all 910 square miles inside the county. County Executive L. Brooks Patterson unveiled the plans at last night's State of the County address. Additional press coverage via the Oakland Press, and the The Detroit News." Similar in concept to Philadelphia's plans covered yesterday.
Grand Haven, MI has had this for months now.
Their service has expanded quite a bit and they are planning on covering a 3 county area within 2 years.
works great, and is not a government run operation as proposed in many other places.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Anyone in Oakland right now is encouraged to help beta test the network. All you need is an 802.11 enabled card, and the SSID is 'linksys.'
If you're having any trouble, just go ahead and access http://192.168.1.1. Leave the username box blank and the password is 'admin.'
Thanks.
...Complete control of a large chain of wi-fi zombie PC's in the waiting.
More interference.....as if my neighbor's new 2.4Ghz phone wasn't bad enough.. Rich http://www.richgautier.com/
Swedish gamers have like 5 ping (that's why they win all the Counter-Strike tourneys) under their wireless internet (that's free). This is another benefit of socialism!
Another place getting WiFi. Now are we going to see this on ./ as news every time some city/municipality or whatever gets WiFi? It's getting old really quick.
I would be angry if my local government did something like this. Wireless networks are something private companies could provide, instead of using government tax dollars that could be better used for schools, roads, and real public projects that would serve the public.
Wireless Internet is something only a small segment of the population would take advantage of, and most should be able to afford it on their own.
I love how slashdot cheers big government projects that intrude further in our lives, yet hate big government at the same time. You can't have it both ways.
Will the sales tax rise because of this?
Do we have to list every cities that are going wireless? :)
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
(from a related link on the article)
Q: If I leave Oakland County, will my computer work?
A: Of course. But you might have to revert back to a wired connection, at least until the whole nation goes wireless.
This is great for many reasons:
1. When the government runs the ISPs, it means that law enforcement can monitor what you browse online. No need for search warrants anymore!
2. It is not like wireless technology changes or evolves, so I am sure a wireless purchase now will be good for the next 40 years.
3. Poor people need low-cost wireless access. After all, brand new laptops configured for wireless access are cheap, but that $8 a month fee for internet access is just WAY too expensive.
4. There are way too many choices. Who actually wants to CHOOSE there ISP, when the government can make all the choices for them. After all, Oakland county does such a great job fixing the roads, lowering crime, and protecting the enviornment... how could they NOT do a better job.
5. The government can make sure that dangerous information is not accessible. We can make sure that p2p music file sharing is not possible, and since we already require certain websites not be available in public schools and libraries, obviously the ban will also apply to public wireless.
In mid-2003, St. Louis turned its downtown into a giant municipal Wi-Fi hotspot. Why is Philly considered to be the archetype, anyway? Oh yeah, St. Louis didn't have to fight a legal battle with Big Telco. And they didn't highly publicize theirs, because in that same week, they announced the closing of sixteen elementary schools.
It's interesting that this is happening in the wealthiest county in Michigan. Of course, since the bottom fell out of the auto industry, that's not saying much.
I do like this quote:
"Patterson also wants to help bridge the digital divide by helping lower-income residents get computers if they don't have the means to buy one. Partnering with private businesses and foundations, the county would offer free or low-cost computers to people willing to take training classes."
I can't WAIT till we have tens of thousands of newly vulnerable and unmanaged computers to be harnessed by the spammers, DOSers and other bad people. Not a valid reason not to do this, but the point is to push out the accessibility to those of lower means, like people who can't afford AV subscriptions, personal firewalls, etc.
I do think Internet access is becoming much more commoditized and if you're not on it, you are at a severe sociatal disadavantage. Think of all those poor people who don't know the joys of fark and slashdot!
Jerry
http://www.syslog.org/
So basically this is the beginning of the grab for wireless monopolies that we will be regretting allowing be established in about 5 years time right?
"When no-one around you understands start your own revolution and cut out the middle man"
free, I would understand. Low-cost would piss me off. Where is the startup cost for this coming from? the taxpayers. why should they then get charged for using the infrastructure they paid to build. Can't stand it when governments pretend to be corporations.
Slashdot, 2568:
"Alabama considers installing a few 802.11a access points..."
Yeah, my state is going to be so left out of this one...wait, isn't it like that for everything?
...and while I really, really like the sound of this, I'm more interested in seeing what sort of impact this'll have on cable and DSL prices in the area. It seems to me that Comcast, SBC and Wide Open West will have a much more difficult time convincing people to pay $60/month for broadband access when they can get adequate service without wires or hardware for free.
I don't think this sort of WiFi would have the speed to keep me happy, but I definitely think my parents and most of my family would be perfectly happy with it, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it drive my cable bill down $10 or $20/month.
Government power should only be used to crush other nations, preferably those who have citizens with high melatonin levels.... /sarcasm
eat shiat and bark at the moon
The Internet provides a benefit to society that is too large for the government not to subsidize its use in any way, shape or form that it can. Providing free access to the public is a noble cause, and it ranks up there with the concept of the public library. I heartily disagree with your opinion.
Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
You probably don't realize this, but Oakland County is about the size of Rhode Island! This isn't just some city getting wireless, it's like a whole state having free wireless. They would have to have some thousands of APs to do this with 802.11b. That definitely sounds like big news to me.
aqazaqa
And I'd like to spend money on an effort that adds little benefit but which sounds good on my re-election campaign.
A city covered by Wireless, paid for by the tax-payers, because of course, that is the most cost-effective way of getting anything done. Get the government to do it.
Does anyone honestly think that having city councils doing this stuff makes sense ? Would it make sense for them to provide the phones and electricity as well ? Nice vote winner, but to do the decent investment in Wi-Fi to get good coverage and cope with all the collisions requires a bit more brains than most government organisations I've seen.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
racist dumbfuck
The problem with these kind of strategies is that Wi-Fi is only the start of new generation technologies using airwaves. So there is quite a big risk that they will be caught up by new technologies as they go along.
On the other hand, this is the first step into a universally available internet everywhere - for free. This is especially interesting for people with little money as well. They can pick up a cheap computer, add a wireless PCI card and have internet access in a whiff.
The other thing is that this would be great on the road. But I do not know how well Wi-Fi works with moving targets. What I do now that there is a huge potential market for services for people that 1) know where they are (GPS) and 2) have continuous internet connections (GPRS, UMTS, Wi-Fi etc).
Still, with the current market situation, I don't think it is politically correct for the government to provide internet connections. They've got to create more online services first, and then worry about access.
This is a waste of taxpayer money. Broadband internet is readily availale in Oakland County through private providers. Meanwhile, Michigan's roads are abominable. Snow takes days to get cleared from residential streets. I could go on and on. Someone needs to get their priorities straight.
Large networks like this are a good idea and only the government has the force to build such a network. Fist off it creates competition for things like GPRS, second of all information is important and should be available to everyone.
By the way wireless is cheap, you can get a computer adequate for surfing the web for almost free and a wireless card is like 8 US dollars now, so yes the monthly internet fee is a lot of money to some people, because high speed internet is like $50, dial up is $15 and you need a telephone line. Guess what many people use cell phones rather than a landline so that adds to the cost. I know some very poor people who have old pcs but do not have internet because of what it costs.
Also this is not intended to push ISP's out of business, but rather offer ubiquitous access and they will have a real hard time monitoring online activity without a log on procedure. So if it is truly open that is not a problem.
One of the last communities without telephone service, Mink, La. finally got hooked up.
It took over 30 years to hook up the phones, when they just could of gone Wifi and VOIP.
Pete Carr Owner Chatmag.com
my take is: what's the point? Oakland is one of the richest counties in the U.S.A. Oakland County residents can, for the most part, afford their own internet access. I'd much rather see a project like this in neighboring Wayne county, where it could actually prove a benifit to residents (although home computer ownership is probably far lower in Detroit than it is in any of Oakland County cities).
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'. --Dan Kaminsky
How long has it been since the last time search warrants were *really* needed?
This issue will become particularly interesting when T-Mobile launches "at home" in 3Q of '05. The "at home" phones, which will retail for under $250, work seemlessly between 802.11b and GSM. That's right, once you get a good unencrypted WiFi signal your phone will hand off from the GSM network to the WiFi base station and become voice over IP call. The technology works today, I've seen the handset myself. These free citywide WiFi networks will also be dropping the cost of providing cell phone service. That is until the WiFi bandwidth gets congested.
...I pay under $70 a month for internet and basic 70ish channel cable from Wide Open West (formerly SBC), which I find quite reasonable, and it's not a "special 3 month deal" like comcast.
Though, at my previous residence, also in Oakland County, I paid about $90 for the same service (except it was not capped to 512Kb, but it never got that fast anyway, and they had lots of problem from restructuring). Cursed Bright House Networks (formerly time warner).
I have no need for silly government wireless, though I imagine wide area wireless is going to become quite common in the next few years, and the government and the telecoms are probably going to be quite interested in getting as many dirty little fingers in that pot (despite what I'm sure is good intentions of lots of people who want to bring about such programs).
you cannot dodge the quad laser. jumping is useless.
I live in Genesee county which borders oakland county and I think we would have been a better choice because if anyone has ever lived in oakland county will know the wealth doesnt stop there. I think most people can afford internet access there.
How do they know which wireless technology to go with?
I am sure a project like this will cost a lot of money. How can they be sure to get a return on investment when the technology they decide on can be obsolete in a few years?
Ronald said nothing. He flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse, and rode madly off in all directions.
I live one block away from the eastern border of Oakland, *and* I have a bunch of tall trees next to my house. Mwahahahahaaa....
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
I haven't noticed a surge of jobs from the county as I have been looking into it for the past couple of months (I know a couple of months isn't really all that long for a huge rollout like this would be, but I still think that there would be some hiring/firing going on).
I've been looking to move to that county or a nearby county, and I have been following the jobs on their website, and I haven't seen any job posts for anything network (there was recently a PC Tech position).
Did all their hiring for the project go on a long time ago? I'd love to hop on board a project like this.
YOU'RE WINNER !
Another lame blog
darn! i was read this title thinking this was Oakland, CA.
HD Trailers
Well, I guess that just goes to show that you don't know much. I live in Wayne County (where Detroit is) and Oakland is like paradise by comparison.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those with loaded guns, and those who dig.
I can't believe this. Has everyone one slashdot gone mad? This is a GOOD THING. Anyone can buy themselves a 300$ Walmart PC and a cheapo 30$ wirelees card and access the internet for FREE. How is this bad? Whoever needs broadband can still buy it, everyone else benefits from a free service from the government for its citizens. Instead everone one slashdot cries
1. Free Internet
2. ???
3. Higher Taxes
On a sidenote, my campus wireless network is way too convenient, plus the university has a monopoly on it. Let's tear it down and get verizon here, so that every student pays them a small fixed amount every month, in addition to tuition.
Does it specify technology? 802.11 or 802.16? I'd guess for the area they want to cover, .16 (WiMax) would be better.
The Doormat
If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.
In a time where city, county, and state governments are strugling to provide the basic services of police, fire fighters, education, roads, etc. I would like to know where all of this money is coming from. This is wasteful spending because IT IS NOT NEEDED! Let the private sector pay for the extra crap. The goverment should be involved in ONLY ESSENTIAL services.
Everyone bitches about paying higher and higher taxes, but they also want the government to spend money on crap like this? I just don't get it.
-Nick
"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
Using WiFi for large areas is just plain stupid. WiMax will provide this service at a fraction of the cost.
We need a private army , a private water works, private roads and highways, private parks, privatitze medical research, privatize space research.
Everything will be great. We know how much private companies want to jump into areas business where they are not guaranteed big profits.
Mega-dittos !
im glad to see more places going wireless... its nice going to the beach here (in california) and being able to grab a wireless signal...
Oakland County, MI has plans to roll out a wireless Internet access program dubbed "Wireless Oakland" covering all 910 square miles inside the county.
That's one big program! How long does it take to download?
Let's say skype runs on my PDA and my smartphone. And wireless is provided for free country-wide.
=> wireless telephony has just become free.
i would be surprised if the cell operators wouldn't put up a massive lobbying effort against this. in the end, the goverment takes over their business and gives it away for free.
not that i or anyone else ever having to deal with cingular customer service would mind.
is east texas going to be next?
I sure wish these moonshine swillin' charles lee homos would get an education hereabouts, I guess it'll be another ten years here in east texas before the kkk sobers up enough to quit screwing queers in louisiana on weekends (charles lee + wayne truax, clevland klavern).I just don't know why those two don't get married.Maybe they are swingers.
Soon to come, polaroids.
ha how the gangsta can get directions to there drive by shoting using wifi...oh wait not oakland,ca.
So i can ride my bike 1 1/2 miles with my laptop, sit on the bench out front summerset mall, and get free wireless? im in!
Your skill in reading has increased by one point!
Ok... so now I can sit in Oakland County's horrible traffic jams and fire up my laptop to view the traffic reports that tell me that from any point in the county its going to take me 30 minutes longer to get anywhere else in the county.
If you drive around here you have to agree, if you don't drive around here, congratulations.
Hoorah to Oakland County's overgrowth and subsequent traffic nightmares.
BTW, there is already a Wireless ISP in Oakland County and we have been operating without county towers or assistance for 5 years.
Question is... will they allow the wireless provider of choice to use Oaknet fiber for backhaul? *grin*