Assuming The Truth Of The Proposition
The little town that could -- wirelessly (Dwight Silverman, TechBlog)
Those who wonder about the value of wide-swath free WiFi should pay a little visit to Herimiston, Ore., as Nicholas Kristoff did in an op-ed in the New York Times.
I did pay a little visit to Kristof's column, and certainly he does seem to think that "free" municipal WiFi is just wonderful.
But there's precious little in the column that tells me why taxpayers ought to foot the bill so that a relatively small number of people won't have to pay for wireless internet access in most places.
Proponents of "free" wifi present the proposition as if it's self-evident.
Well, I'm a geek. I like "free" wifi. But it's not self-evident to me that taxpayers ought to foot the bill so that I can have it wherever I go.
I'm open to being convinced. Maybe someone will try at some point. But I still remember too well the wonders of Lee Brown's providing "free" SimDesk access to all Houstonians (how many cops might that outlay of funds have hired?). So it's going to take more than just "wow, this is great!" from the small number of people likely to benefit.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/07/05 21:11 | Other | Technorati
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It's also worth asking what business the government has giving something away that private businesses are already providing...driving them out of business in the process. Cheap wireless broadband is obviously something that can really move the economy and do lots of other good things, but just giving away the service doesn't seem like the route to take.
Posted by Tom Hanna @ 00:59 on 08/08/05
If someone can afford a laptop with all the gizmos and gadgets those involve, why do (taxpayer-financed) free-wifi enthusiasts assume that those same folks cannot find a place that has wifi? And come on! So many places have free wifi now! It's a selling point to help get people in the door.
It also strikes me that many of the (taxpayer-financed) free-wifi enthusiasts are the same folks who champion light rail for Houston. Not because anyone rides light rail, of course -- but because it LOOKS good.
Which must mean that (taxpayer-financed) free-wifi is world class.
Posted by Anne @ 05:52 on 08/08/05
Safety?
http://www.bloghouston.net/...
Posted by callie @ 09:02 on 08/08/05
Safety? Well, okay then. Let's do it!
Posted by Anne @ 10:12 on 08/08/05
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