Category: Municipal

Despite significant challenges, an increasing number of cities are planning to deploy Wi-Fi networks across large areas. High-profile cities currently include San Francisco, Philadelphia and Houston, but as described in a new report titled "2006 Muni Broadband Outlook" from Light Reading Insider, other cities include Anaheim, Calif.; Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Buffalo, N.Y.; Chicago; Denver;...

San Francisco's plan for citywide Wi-Fi ran into some friction Friday from a local regulatory agency. Via [infoworld.nl]

New York City lawmakers are taking a long, hard look at using 802.11-based Wi-Fi or some other technology to get the city's roughly 8 million citizens access to broadband. Via [news.com.com]

Philadelphia's wireless Internet for the masses initiative has given big telecommunications firms fits, but it has also won another plaudit for city chief information officer Dianah Neff. Via [philly.com]

If nothing else, 2005 was an entertaining year for many a town, city or even county -- though the entertainment sometimes came at the expense of incumbent telecommunications companies. Via [govtech.net]

Arlington County is asking technology companies to give Internet users something for nothing. Via [msnbc.msn.com]

Wireless Philadelphia is a project that has been in development for several years, but which will not be finished until late 2006. Via [news.bbc.co.uk]

Mountain View-based MetroFi is expected to announce today that it plans to bring free, advertising-supported wireless Internet service to all 130,000 residents of Sunnyvale. Via [mercurynews.com]

City officials in Tempe, Ariz., hosted a "Cutting the Wires" ceremony on Monday, marking the initial availability of Tempe's citywide wireless access network. Via [pcmag.com]

Hurricane-ravaged New Orleans will deploy the nation's first municipally owned wireless Internet system that will be free for all users, part of an effort to jump-start recovery by making living and doing business in the city as attractive as possible. Via [chicagotribune.com]

The City of Akron is planning to build a 62-square-mile wireless network that will anticipate future technology advancements. The city is starting with a Wi-Fi rollout and will have the capability of adding WiMAX and additional advancements in the future. Via [commsdesign.com]

The Balkan country of Macedonia is planning a wireless mesh network that will cover 1,000 square miles so that the country's more than 2 million residents can get online. Via [informationweek.com]

A pioneering public sector wireless network is being extended, and should eventually bring Wi-Fi to local residents. Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]

Free lunches do exist. It's just that they're pretty rare. So when you are offered one, you take it. Via [mercurynews.com]

Cisco Systems will throw its hat into the municipal Wi-Fi ring on Tuesday when it announces wireless-network product enhancements that extend its technology into outside deployments. Via [news.zdnet.com]