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Non-Profit to Run Boston Wi-Fi?
isabotage3 writes to tell us that Boston, MA is toying with a somewhat unique approach to their version of the city-wide low-cost wireless network. Rather than put the network in the hands of a private organization under contract the city may allow a non-profit group to run the show. From the article: "Although Boston's strategy depends on the willingness of foundations and businesses to come forward with cash donations, officials believe having an existing or newly formed nonprofit in charge is the best way to ensure the project meets its civic goals and steers clear of special interests."
the only wireless i have had any good experience with working.. is custom microwave..
we use a wireless connection which is line of sight microwave as a seondary connection and it has better uptime than our MCI t1.. (then again it is MCI.....)
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
I know this sounds like a great idea, but I'm skeptical. Would the government have an easier time monitoring, or pulling the strings to monitor, such a network than a for-profit one?
This is a great idea -- why have a for-profit company running a free wireless network? It doesn't happen (often). Here in Pittsburgh, a non-pennsylvanian company earned the contract to run the city's 'free (for 2 hours)' wireless network (for profit). Free wireless networks don't come from for-profit companies, unless they realize that the service enhances their business. This is the kicker. People don't want to pay for 'net. People use the net, and you could makes things easier for them. And me!
Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
There are other groups running community wireless networks all around the world.
Air-Stream.org is one in Adelaide Australia, but yay for Bostonians starting a new project.
http://air-stream.org/
I transferred 4 gigs onto our company vpn last night, my upload averaged 0.97mbit for many hours.
Maybe.
But there are lots of foundations and philanthropists out there with lots of money, and all you really need is one. I've worked in the non-profit sector. The good news is that people with money understand using money to catalyze change: that's what investment is after all. In fact, that's the difference between asking for a small donation and a large one. You can ask for a small thing because it will help you get something worthy done. You can ask for a large thing if will change the way things get done.
By their nature these sort of asks are unique animals. You need to research the donor, understand the foundation's mission or the donor's interests, and connect what you want to do to those things in a persuasive way. Only after you have done those things can you say whether the funding is likely or even possible.
With respect to business, consider all the businesses that provide wi-fi access. Why do they do it? To attract customers from their competition. So, these businesses are going to be either against the effort, or indifferent to it.
But the principle remains: a business may be interested in this because it attracts customers away from the competition. Except that the service would be for everyone in the city. So you need a business that is interested in the city vis a vis other cities.
You want a real estate business.
If this goes down, the most plausible way to do it will be to find some developer who has a mega-project that, as such projects do, requires a boatload of zoning variances. Normally you sit down and dicker with them over things like setting aside jobs for city residences, putting in amenities to offset problems, and, this is key, paying for improvements nearby infrastructure. Most of these things are the stuff the developer doesn't want to do, or is indifferent to. However, ubiquitous wireless may be, for some projects, a big plus.
Maybe you're putting in a development with room for a hundred stores and office space for a hundred businesses. The free infrastructure might save each store and business a hundred dollars a more in infrastruture costs. Thats 200 businesses x 100 dollars/month or 20,000 per month, nearly a quarter million per year. Using the prime rate, the present value of a quarter million per year is about a million dollars. So chipping in a million dollars is a break even proposition for you. If it's a condition of building your project, you could perhaps be persuaded to contribute more, and may be more creative in finding ways to leverage the infrastructure to make more money.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
we have a 2mb up 2mb down link that sits around 60% saturation.. it is line of sight to the companys main building which is about 2 miles away.. even durring ice storms we didn't have much issue. (usability drop by about 20%) but over all considering the price (225$) i can't complain.. i wouldn't rely on it as a sole link .. the same way i wouldn't rely on the t1.. this is why we have both..
they have gotten a lot better..
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'