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Post #1
May 11 2008, 05:19
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Neowinian Wise One
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From: Queensland (Australia)
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Philadelphia's citywide WiFi close to shutting down Quote - It'd be absolutely spectacular to actually see one of these admittedly ambitious municipal WiFi projects actually work out every now and then, but instead, we're seeing the nails start to sink into yet another citywide WiFi coffin.
This go 'round, the network blanketing most of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is on the verge of sending out its last signals unless the city can devise a plan in short order to take it over from EarthLink, who unsurprisingly wants out on the double. Unfortunately, we don't have a great feeling about the system's future -- history has a way of forecasting, you know? Source: Engadget
This post has been edited by peachey: May 11 2008, 06:25
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Post #2
May 11 2008, 05:43
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Neowinian²
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From: MA
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Kinda funny, I just read about this in a side note in one of my computer networking text books. Too bad.
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Post #3
May 11 2008, 17:06
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Neogovie
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More will follow. We shut our down last year for the same reasons.
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Post #4
May 12 2008, 10:40
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Be seeing you...
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From: Brighton, Land of the South Saxons, Albion
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Alternatively, read the source article for the blog post if you want it in halfway comprehensible and grammatical English...
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Post #5
May 12 2008, 12:47
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Neowinian Wise One
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From: Houston, TX
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Didn't know Earthlink was still kicking...
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Post #6
May 12 2008, 12:54
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Resident Elite
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From: Texas
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Maybe Google will pick it up? We can only hope.
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Post #7
May 12 2008, 13:34
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Neowinian
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From: Philadelphia, PA
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I don't actually know anyone in this city that USES it....
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Post #8
May 12 2008, 14:03
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Resident Elite
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From: Philadelphia, PA
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Of course it is on the verge of shutting down... The city implemented this in the wrong fashion!
When the plan was first announced the city said it would cost around $10 million to roll out city based WiFi and everything was going well. Then they changed their tune out of no where and said Earthlink was doing it for free. I knew then that the system wouldn't last as they had given it a doomed for failure business model.
The primary focus and measure for Muni WiFi shouldn't be in how many residential or private sector customers it can land, but in how it can help city government run more efficiently. It could have been used to give city workers fast access to data for a lot less cost than Cell access. It could have been used to enable Septa to accept credit cards on buses and provide real time bus tracking to customers. The list of government improvements are endless. The side benefit could have been giving disadvantaged people or the public free access to the Internet.
It is a shame city hall screwed this one up by trying to penny pinch far too hard.
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Post #9
May 12 2008, 16:27
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Neowinian UNSTOPPABLE
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Quote - (Zirus @ May 12 2008, 08:54)  Maybe Google will pick it up? We can only hope. Seriously, why does everyone think Google is some kinda Saviour or something? Someday they will show their true colors... and it's most likely not red, blue, green and yellow...
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Post #10
May 12 2008, 17:03
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Resident Elite
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Quote - (neufuse @ May 12 2008, 11:27) Seriously, why does everyone think Google is some kinda Saviour or something? Someday they will show their true colors... and it's most likely not red, blue, green and yellow... uhh... Because didn't they build the network for San Francisco? Or was it Sunnyville? meh, it was one of those. Either way, If they did, I wouldn't be surprised by the news.
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Post #11
May 12 2008, 17:13
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Neowinian³
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From: Philadelphia, PA
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I live in Philadelphia and I gotta admit I have not used the Metro-Fi access at all. I'm more than paranoid about my computer's information but at the same time I do not own a laptop. I hope that as a previous user suggested, that Septa along with another company turns this City Wi-Fi into something useful.
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Post #12
May 12 2008, 17:38
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Neowin Addict
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Quote - (Saint Shiv @ May 12 2008, 12:13) I live in Philadelphia and I gotta admit I have not used the Metro-Fi access at all. I'm more than paranoid about my computer's information but at the same time I do not own a laptop. I hope that as a previous user suggested, that Septa along with another company turns this City Wi-Fi into something useful. I do consulting for the Philadelphia area, I havn't run into anyone who uses or wants to use the city wide wireless. Most people have Blackberries or Windows Mobile smart phones, and others use a cellular card for their laptops. As for the comment about Septa... yeah that would be great, they can have another reason to hike their fairs and every 2 years or so threaten to put the wireless on strike and hold the customers hostage... I hate Septa, bunch of money grub'in $&%^#s.
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Post #13
May 12 2008, 23:47
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Resident One Post Wonder
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You wanted one to work. Well ours works, I work in Port Huron, MI. and I work to maintain the wireless also. It covers all of our downtown. And it has been there for a few years now. So, I'm not sure how long you want it to last to say "it worked out" but here is an example.
I'm not going to say how many people actually use it tho. Because I don't really know anyone who actually uses it. I don't even use it. But I don't live there and when I work we have our own network that I have to connect to to get access to our servers.
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Post #14
May 13 2008, 01:55
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Resident Elite
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Quote - (Black.Mac @ May 12 2008, 08:34) I don't actually know anyone in this city that USES it.... you have to pay to get access, right? I think if it were free people would use it. SSID = WIFIPhilly, right?
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Post #15
May 13 2008, 07:38
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Custom member title
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From: Los Angeles, CA
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Free Wi-Fi is incredibly slow, though, at least at all the hotspots that I've used. Usually paying a small fee will get you decent speeds.
I was once a fan of citywide Wi-Fi, but then I realized in this day and edge, between cell phone towers and 3G cell service, there's little need for slow public Wi-Fi.
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