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The Hiccups of Free Wi-fi for Cities
smooth wombat writes "Several cities around the country are considering implementing free wi-fi for its residents. Currenly, St. Cloud, Florida is the only one that can make that claim. However, the 28,000 residents are still experiencing hiccups in the system more than a month after implementation including being able to see receivers but not being able to connect or connecting at different times with weak signals or not being able to connect at all. As a result, many residents are still paying for monthly landline connections.
HP, which has been contracted to build the project and provide customer support, says it is working to resolve the issues by adding more access points to improve signal strength in isolated parts of the city. Despite these issues, HP says that there were only 842 help-line calls out of more than 50,000 user sessions in the first 45 days of service."
Still, you have to admit, from the city's point of view, it makes fantastic sense. They can boost and/or justify their property taxes. They essentially get to steal profits from ISP companies and put the money into city coffers. The residents are for the most part happy, and like their 'free' wifi. It doesn't get much better than that for local politicians.
"Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
Those greedy right wingers in the red states give more to charity each year than those bleeding heart socialists in the blue states, even though they are generally poorer. Most right wingers do not consider roads or fire departments "socialist" institutions. This is because there is not a realistic way that one fire department can compete with another fire department for your dollar when your house is burning. It is also unrealistic to build x roads side-by-side so that x companies can compete for your dollar to get you around town. It isn't greed or money that drives right wingers, it is the realization that competition makes for better and cheaper service. It is also the realization that one cannot live in freedom while being taxed to death and being told how to live by people like you.