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Tempe, AZ To Provide Wireless Broadband

Posted by Zonk on from the they-won-one dept.

jangobongo writes "City officials of Tempe, Arizona are laying claim to being the first major metropolitan area in the United States to deploy citywide wireless Internet access. MobilePro Corp. and Strix Systems have been contracted to provide a mesh network covering the entire city, which is to be in place by late summer or early fall. Downtown Tempe and the Arizona State University will have free access available, while the rest of the city will be offered monthly subscriptions ($20 for dial-up speed and $30 to $40 for high-speed wireless). Local broadband suppliers have been quiet on this, unlike elsewhere."

27 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. They're quiet because.. by geniusj · · Score: 5, Insightful

    they can compete with Tempe's pricing. They're not offering it for free everywhere or for something like $15/mo as has been suggested elsewhere.

  2. Local Broadband Supplies Should Not Worry by $criptah · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If I had a deal like that in my hometown, I would subscribe; however, I would not shut my home connection down by any means.

    Let's face it, I have it pretty good: a static IP, a connection that never goes down, an ISP that filters all my mail and good support. Why would I cancel that? Wireless is nice to have, but doing it old school does not have to conflict with that.

  3. I Don't See This as Something to Celebrate by voodoo_bluesman · · Score: 2, Insightful

    For being such a geek, I don't like the sound of this. All I see if a big expense being picked up by the taxpayer. Things of this nature shouldn't be subsidized by the public, as they have nothing to do with ensuring civil liberties (which should be government's top priority on a very short list).

    It's just not right to make everyone pay for something only some will use.

    1. Re:I Don't See This as Something to Celebrate by soupdevil · · Score: 4, Insightful

      OK, so what about power, gas, water, sewer, garbage? I don't see anything wrong with cities providing utilities. They should be able to run this at cost or at a profit, and they're providing a service that private industry hasn't gotten around to doing yet.

    2. Re:I Don't See This as Something to Celebrate by SpaceAdmiral · · Score: 2, Funny

      I agree. The only purpose of government is to ensure a decent butter-churn in every home.

    3. Re:I Don't See This as Something to Celebrate by voodoo_bluesman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Economics tells us that there is a reason that private enterprise hasn't gotten around to it: demand.

    4. Re:I Don't See This as Something to Celebrate by timeOday · · Score: 2, Insightful

      All depends on how much they sell. For that price, I wouldn't be buying. That last think I need is yet another $40/month bill. Telephone, cable TV, DSL, netflix, cellphone, newspaper, now wireless... how many different bills will consumers put up with for essentially the same thing?

    5. Re:I Don't See This as Something to Celebrate by voodoo_bluesman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If it wasn't for those 'millionaire CEOs', we wouldn't have much of what is available today at such a low cost.

    6. Re:I Don't See This as Something to Celebrate by Qzukk · · Score: 3, Informative

      At $20-$40 a month per subscriber, they'd have to have either a huge chunk of graft or have no subscribers to run the system into the red. If its the latter, then the system will probably end up just being run by the university. If its the former, some local news show will have some "Major Expose" and "blast the story wide open" on prime time tv where nobody will continue to care.

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    7. Re:I Don't See This as Something to Celebrate by voidptr · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Freedom of speech means you can say what you want to without the Government stopping you.

      It *doesn't* mean you get the right to make me pay for it.

      --
      This .sig for unofficial government use only. Official use subject to $500 fine.
  4. Good Show by Lostie · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is what's needed, local councils and the government need to provide investment for both wireless and wired high-speed net access. This way, even the rural areas can get it, how long will it be before prospective buyers of your rural house start to lose interest because of no broadband in your area? It is fast becoming an essential commodity.

    And in this case, the fixed-line telcos now have some competition, which is always a good thing(tm).

    1. Re:Good Show by Qzukk · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What pisses me off right now is that its easier to get a good coverage map for a cellphone then it is to find out if you can get DSL in a house BEFORE you move in.

      I look at these apartment locators and house listing services, and think that people are missing a major business opportunity... partner up with some DSL provider (pick one) and mark each listing that you can get DSL at that house... new subscribers for the DSL and tech savvy people buying the house.

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
  5. New cell for me by Murdoc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hey, if I had that in my city, now that I have Skype on my PocketPC Axim, it'd be just like a cell phone, but with cheap/free long distance! Woot!

    --
    Our ignorance is not so vast as our failure to use what we know. - M. King Hubbert
  6. Go Canada by Godboy_g · · Score: 5, Informative

    We've had city wide wireless available for quite some time now. It's offered for FREE too. For those interested, I live in Fredericton New Brunswick Canada! Go Canada!

    --
    I LIKE TOAST!!!
    1. Re:Go Canada by the+MaD+HuNGaRIaN · · Score: 2, Funny

      Let's see.....Tempe climate Vs Anywhere in Canada climate.

      Uh, no---we're not interested.

  7. DANG. by iroll · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Tempe is one of the best-run cities in the valley (make that THE BEST). As one of the only land-locked cities, the powers-that-be are interested in doing more than just sprawling out another patch of stripmalls and stucco houses--they're being forced to compete for business and residents by improving services and density. Yes, Daisy, competition works in government, too!

    Unfortunately, it's making housing prices go through the roof (even compared to the rest of the valley), and it's pricing some of us young urban professionals out (even though I really wanted to stay and 'vote' my support for Tempe with my feet & taxes). Hopefully some of that free wireless will make it accross the river into Phoenix, where I had to move :(

    --
    Repetition does not transform a lie into the truth. - FDR
  8. What about the other rural areas? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    There are a lot of other smaller cities that have already implemented this: http://chaska.net/
    in Minnesota, and Minneapolis is planning on rolling out a city-wide privately owned network soon:
    http://www.startribune.com/stories/789/5342733.htm l/

    Cool stuff either way!

  9. Re:Steve down the street has open acccesspoint by will592 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Ummm, I know you're an AC ... but I'll bite. Tempe isn't just another city. Arizona State University fills Tempe to the brim. They know technology at ASU and I wouldn't be surprised if they're the first 'major' city to roll this out successfuly. This being said...Tempe is hardly a 'major' city. Good job ASU!

    Chris

  10. Wireless broadband gaming Tempe style by digitaldc · · Score: 3, Funny

    Get everyone in Tempe AZ to get with it and get a massive online Sims game going. Everyone can live out a life and never leave the house.
    The benefits will be enormous. Traffic will be lighter and delivery & gaming support services will reap great rewards!

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
  11. Wish I had it here by Nonillion · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Where I live my only option is Comcast. I use my T-Mobile hotspot service (sync T-1) with my laptop but would gladly sign up for something like this. Hell is going to freeze over before I pay Comcast 49.95 a month for their restrictive take it bundled or else Internet service.

    --
    "I bow to no man" - Riddick
  12. If most of the Internet is like trash... by unfortunateson · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... then it makes sense for the city to do it.
    My village of about 60,000 includes trash pickup as a village service, paid by taxpayers. It's cheaper for them to contract it like that than each homeowner to do it on their own (I don't think businesses get a free ride here, so they're subsidizing my trash heap, most likely).

    The only ones whining about these things are the service providers hoping to make more money off individuals.

    And like trash, everybody, not just residents, benefits. Tourists like the trash they can find on the internet.

    --
    Design for Use, not Construction!
  13. Re:So many new opportunities by kidgenius · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually, Chandler is looking at doing city-wide WIFI with free downtown access, just like Tempe.

  14. Re:Steve down the street has open acccesspoint by E-Rock · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They didn't hire anyone. The University built it out for them at their cost.

  15. I still can't understand why slashdot thinks by hsmith · · Score: 4, Insightful

    this is a good idea, besides the socialist factor played out here all the time.

    Face it, you are giving government control of the medium. You are giving them the power to censor the internet when they control it like this. You are already seeing the FEC trying to graple the internet for political speech (which the 1st ammendment is there to protect at its BASE!!!). Giving the government the power to distrubute connections is tantamount to giving them the rights to distribute newspapers and sell "spectrums" for TV/Radio stations to broadcast on (whcih they already do).

    Look where the FCC has gone with its control over that medium, they have been cracking down on "questionable content" for a long time.

    Be careful what you wish for.

  16. We need free wireless access in public spaces by Pet+Doctor · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Broadband access has become increasingly essential to economic growth, health care, and education. What electric power and telephones were to the 20th Century, broadband access will be to the 21st. Towns that don't have affordable broadband lose jobs. Their children suffer a serious disadvantage in college or in the workforce, where fluency with computers and the Internet is increasingly assumed as a matter of course. Communities without broadband cannot take advantage of new breakthroughs in tel-medicine or the economic opportunities created by telecommuting. Even in crowded urban areas, the availability of broadband can vary from one neighborhood to another, stranding one neighborhood on the wrong side of the "digital divide" while two, three or even four broadband providers serve their neighbors.

    Municipalities have a valuable role to play in filing this gap. Municipalities have a long history of providing necessary services for citizens and stimulating local businesses. In the 20th century, municipalities built power plants and telephone lines when private services did not move fast enough. Our competitive power and telecoms industries today demonstrate that these services by municipalities complement private industry rather than compete with it. In addition, municipalities have a long history of spending money to benefit their citizens and encourage business development. They should have the same opportunity to offer public hot spots and broadband access.

    From 2001- 2004 the United States dropped from 4th to 13th place in global rankings of broadband Internet usage. Today, most U.S. homes can access only 'basic' broadband, among the slowest, most expensive and least reliable in the developed world. Nearly all Japanese have access to 'high-speed' broadband, with an average connection time 16 times faster than in the United States - for only about $22 a month. South Korea, which has the world's greatest percentage of broadband users, and urban China, which last year surpassed the U.S. in the number of broadband users.

    The solution is not to protect the baby bells and cable companies from competition; it is instead to encourage more competition. Communities across the country are experimenting with ways to supplement private service. And these experiments are producing unexpected economic returns. Some are discovering that free wireless access increases the value of public spaces just as street lamps do. And just as street lamps don't make other types of lighting obsolete, free wireless access in public spaces won't kill demand for access in private spaces. Yet we will never recognize these externalities unless municipalities are free to experiment.

    Source: NY Times & http://www.pbs.org/now/

  17. Is it my imagination or what? by Dark+Coder · · Score: 2, Insightful

    $20!!!! PER MONTH!!????

    One can circumvent that by lil' wardriving and getting it for free. 8.8 cents per mile for gasoline until an unsecured hotspot is detected.

    YMMV.

  18. A view from inside by Lurking+Grue · · Score: 2, Informative
    I'm an IT employee for the City of Tempe. There seems to be a bit of speculation about the new wireless agreement. Here's my unofficial summary of what's happening:

    Our Council has awarded a contract to MobilePro to build-out a wireless network citywide. MobilePro will utilize some City infrastructure (mostly light poles) for the build-out. In exchange, we get free dedicated bandwidth for municipal services.

    We're not an ISP. We're not involved with managing bandwidth, setting subscription rates, or filtering content. And despite speculation in several posts I've read, we're not subsidizing the project. This is a partnership with ASU and MobilePro.

    Our website offers a more detailed explanation:

    http://www.tempe.gov/business/wifi/