How to Support Municipal WiFi

We soon will be able to connect to the Internet from almost anywhere. Across the country, small towns and big cities across are searching for the best methods to create and deliver free high-speed Internet access through wireless municipal networks.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Get the facts. Find out what agency or organization is leading the charge for municipal WiFi in your area. Some small cities are further ahead in the planning and creation of wireless networks than many large metropolitan areas. Nearly 200 municipalities now have significant WiFi access, including Champaign, Illinois; Greenberg, Kansas; Tempe, Arizona; and Long Island and Niagara Falls in New York.

2. Learn the lingo. Some call it Mu-Fi, another term for municipal WiFi. Hot spots, already common these days, refers to wireless networking with a limited range set up in coffee shops, hotels, libraries and fitness clubs. Wi-Max refers to wireless networking that uses a different technology to allow wireless service over miles, rather than just a few city blocks.

3. Know the politics. Political wrangling has already derailed free Internet projects in several cities. Municipalities must often negotiate with Internet service providers such as Earthlink or AT&T to create these networks and there is a lot of taxpayer money at stake.

4. Attend public meetings. While much of the political maneuvering about WiFi occurs in city hall offices and corporate boardrooms, public hearings are occasionally held. It's a time when citizens can weigh in on the subject. Visit your city or town council websites to keep abreast of any hearings.

Tips & Warnings

• Internet service providers have used their clout in some cases to stall the development of free wireless networks out of concern their industry will be adversely affected.

Resources

• Basics of WiFi.
• How cities debate the WiFi issue.