What Happened to the Wi-Fi Dream?

By Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, April 8, 2008.

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)

Add new comment

Your Opinion Matters
Help shape Word of Mouth by participating in our survey.

Word of Mouth is all about what's new. Online and on-air, the show looks at our fascinating and ever-changing world, and puts the latest ideas under a microscope. Word of Mouth investigates everything from science and technology, to health and the environment, to new trends in popular culture. The show airs Monday through Thursday at noon and is hosted by Virginia Prescott.

Say what you want to say. How you want to say it. We want to hear from you.

Word of Mouth is on the move! Sign up for our podcast and take the show wherever you go.

Past Shows
Nov 03, 2009 | Link
Nov 02, 2009 | Link
Oct 29, 2009 | Link
Oct 28, 2009 | Link

Support From

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The TD Charitable Foundation

The Next Green Thing

is supported by

Public Service of New Hampshire
committed to clean energy solutions
New Hampshire Electric Co-op