Cambridge WIFI

it's happening all across the country. Cities are recognizing that access to the Internet is a fundamental part of society - such as having access to electricity or to the telephone network. as a result, cities are developing ways to provide wireless Internet access (known as municipal wireless or muni wifi) to its citizens. Cambridge and Boston both have plans to develop muni wifi networks over the next couple of years, along with 300 other cities around the country. Some cities, including San Francisco, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Alexandria, VA, are moving ahead on partnerships with large companies like EarthLink (which is making a major push into muni wireless). These plans involve varying funding mechanisms for build-out and maintenance: public money, private money, ad-revenue, and/or subscription fees. Meanwhile many community groups have set up low- or no-cost networks within cities.

according to a city newsletter Cambridge’s Information Technology Department, working with other city departments, MIT, Harvard, and the Museum of Science, intends “to blanket Cambridge with free basic-level wireless access” http://www.cambridgema.gov/CityOfCambridge_Content/documents/Cambridge_Life_0906.pdf

The deployment will happen in phases and the City has prioritized delivering service to subsidized and low-income housing areas. Students in Cambridge’s schools are also a target. City Councilor Henrietta Davis, who initiated the discussion on municipal wifi at the City level, stresses her goal of “making sure that every ninth grader has a laptop and Internet access by September 2007.”

check out the project on the Cambridge web site http://www.cambridgema.gov/wifi/