What Happened to the Wi-Fi Dream?

In 2005, officials in Philadelphia announced plans to create the largest municipal Wi-Fi grid in the country. The Primary goal was to subsidize low-cost internet access to Philly's poorest neighborhoods. Officials in more than a dozen other cities quickly jumped on the bandwagon. But the rush to Wi-Fi for everyone has slowed to a crawl. Philadelphia's network is nearly 80 percent built, but unexpected obstacles came up. Now city officials aren't sure when or if the network will ever be completed.

Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott speaks with Craig Settles about what happened. Craig is an independent wireless technology consultant and author of the book After Muni Wireless Comes to Town.

Read the New York Times article Hopes for Wireless Cities Fade As Internet Providers Pull Out

Read the Government Technology article Municipal Wireless Success Demands Public Involvement, Experts Say

Read Earthlink's press release about municipal wireless

(Photo by Mr. Theklan)