Municipal WiFi: Providing Access
While Boston progresses towards a city-wide wireless network, Wired Magazine reports that a wireless network recently launched in San Francisco is already paying dividends. Low income residents are now able to log on from the privacy of their own homes and immediately access endless resources, once considered an unobtainable luxury.
Philadelphia, Anaheim (CA), Milpitas (CA), and Alexandria (VA) all have active wi-fi networks running, and some other cities working towards that goal include Houston, Atlanta, Nashua (NH), and Pasedena (CA).
In the case of New Orleans, it was a disaster that prompted rebuilding with cutting-edge infrastructure. The city offered free wireless to encourage evacuees' return following Hurricane Katrina. Starting in the business district, the goal was to spread the network's coverage across the entire city.
Whether free or discounted service is provided by the municipalities, the ultimate benefit is the blurring of the "digital divide." Broadening public access is a central goal of the Berkman Center and in addition to work in our own communities, initiatives such as the Jamaica Project and the OpenNet Initiative are ways we work internationally to enhance access.
Image courtesy of Dana Spiegel with CC licensing.
Philadelphia, Anaheim (CA), Milpitas (CA), and Alexandria (VA) all have active wi-fi networks running, and some other cities working towards that goal include Houston, Atlanta, Nashua (NH), and Pasedena (CA).
In the case of New Orleans, it was a disaster that prompted rebuilding with cutting-edge infrastructure. The city offered free wireless to encourage evacuees' return following Hurricane Katrina. Starting in the business district, the goal was to spread the network's coverage across the entire city.
Whether free or discounted service is provided by the municipalities, the ultimate benefit is the blurring of the "digital divide." Broadening public access is a central goal of the Berkman Center and in addition to work in our own communities, initiatives such as the Jamaica Project and the OpenNet Initiative are ways we work internationally to enhance access.
Image courtesy of Dana Spiegel with CC licensing.