Philadelphia's citywide WiFi close to shutting down

By p858snake
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Grand Master

p858snake

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Philadelphia's citywide WiFi close to shutting down

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

Edited by peachey
Grand Master

+LogicalApex MVC

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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.

Veteran

Zirus

Posted
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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.

Proficient

Saint Shiv

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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.

Mentor

abysal

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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.

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.

Neowinian

stealthchris117

Posted
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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.

Grand Master

Quillz

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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.

Grand Master

+LogicalApex MVC

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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.

There is a great need and use for it, but making it primarily for consumers isn't a good idea or useful.

Grand Master

p858snake

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Philadelphia citywide WiFi officially shut down

We knew it was coming, but Philadelphia's citywide WiFi is now officially being turned off, and Earthlink is planning on pulling down all of its access points.

Like basically every other municipal WiFi project, it seems like the cost of keeping the system going outweighed the benefits, and Earthlink couldn't find a buyer willing to take things over.

Current Earthlink customers will get 30 more days of service, until June 12, and then it's lights bytes out. Here's hoping Philly coffee shops are ready for an influx of urban warriors.

Source: Engadget (VIA: Philebrity)

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