History of Public WiFi - Revision history

Pinfold at 19:02, April 10, 2022

2022-04-10T19:02:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:02, April 10, 2022
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	\| chapter = 9001		\| chapter = 9001
	\| image = PublicWiFiChapter.jpg		\| image = PublicWiFiChapter.jpg
	\| summary = The dreams and aspirations of a municipal Wi-Fi system aren’t new: provide free, high-speed internet to		\| summary = The dreams and aspirations of a municipal Wi-Fi system aren’t new: provide free, high-speed internet to your community, close the digital divide, shrink the homework gap, and give consumers a free, public option for internet service. It’s not hard to see why the concept has remained so popular over the years.
	your community, close the digital divide, shrink the homework gap, and give consumers a free, public
	option for internet service. It’s not hard to see why the concept has remained so popular over the years.
	}}		}}
	=The Early Days=		=The Early Days=

Pinfold at 23:17, March 16, 2022

2022-03-16T23:17:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:17, March 16, 2022
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	\| document = 20170823-GCTC-PWSC-Public-WIFI-Blueprint-FINAL-v2.pdf		\| document = 20170823-GCTC-PWSC-Public-WIFI-Blueprint-FINAL-v2.pdf
	\| chapter = 9001		\| chapter = 9001
	\| image =		\| image = PublicWiFiChapter.jpg
	\| summary =		\| summary = The dreams and aspirations of a municipal Wi-Fi system aren’t new: provide free, high-speed internet to
			your community, close the digital divide, shrink the homework gap, and give consumers a free, public
			option for internet service. It’s not hard to see why the concept has remained so popular over the years.
	}}		}}
	=The Early Days=		=The Early Days=
	~~The dreams and aspirations of a municipal Wi-Fi system aren’t new: provide free, high-speed internet to~~
	~~your community, close the digital divide, shrink the homework gap, and give consumers a free, public~~
	~~option for internet service. It’s not hard to see why the concept has remained so popular over the years.~~
	Municipal Wi-Fi projects date back nearly two decades. As early as 1999 Metricom was offering a 28.8		Municipal Wi-Fi projects date back nearly two decades. As early as 1999 Metricom was offering a 28.8
	kbps commercial service in most of the San Francisco Bay Area, and a few years later they launched a		kbps commercial service in most of the San Francisco Bay Area, and a few years later they launched a

Pinfold at 04:23, March 15, 2022

2022-03-15T04:23:46Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:23, March 15, 2022
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	\| document = 20170823-GCTC-PWSC-Public-WIFI-Blueprint-FINAL-v2.pdf		\| document = 20170823-GCTC-PWSC-Public-WIFI-Blueprint-FINAL-v2.pdf
	\| chapter = 9001		\| chapter = 9001
			\| image =
			\| summary =
	}}		}}
	~~__NOTOC__~~
	=The Early Days=		=The Early Days=
	The dreams and aspirations of a municipal Wi-Fi system aren’t new: provide free, high-speed internet to		The dreams and aspirations of a municipal Wi-Fi system aren’t new: provide free, high-speed internet to

Pinfold: /* Analysis of What Went Wrong */

2022-01-06T18:30:21Z

Analysis of What Went Wrong

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:30, January 6, 2022
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	as [https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2006/03/11/wi-pie-in-the-sky Chicago; Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis and signed similar deals with EarthLink, Metricom, Metro-Fi], and other providers. In fact, by one count, over 200 municipalities had announced projects by the		as [https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2006/03/11/wi-pie-in-the-sky Chicago; Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis and signed similar deals with EarthLink, Metricom, Metro-Fi], and other providers. In fact, by one count, over 200 municipalities had announced projects by the
	middle of 2006.		middle of 2006.

	Yet by 2007, the San Francisco project was dead along with many more. EarthLink’s model proved to be		Yet by 2007, the San Francisco project was dead along with many more. EarthLink’s model proved to be
	a failure. Metro-Fi and Metricom devices were left stranded on city poles, leaving municipal public		a failure. Metro-Fi and Metricom devices were left stranded on city poles, leaving municipal public
	works crews to clean them up and foot the bill for the removal cost. Meanwhile, Google’s free Wi-Fi in		works crews to clean them up and foot the bill for the removal cost. Meanwhile, Google’s free Wi-Fi in
	Mountain View, according to one insider we spoke with, was by then foundering.		Mountain View, according to one insider we spoke with, was by then foundering.

	=Analysis of What Went Wrong=		=Analysis of What Went Wrong=
	Much has been written on the death of municipal Wi-Fi. Eric M. Fraser, a legal scholar, pointed to Wi-Fi		Much has been written on the death of municipal Wi-Fi. Eric M. Fraser, a legal scholar, pointed to Wi-Fi

Pinfold: /* The Early Days */

2022-01-06T18:23:16Z

The Early Days

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:23, January 6, 2022
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	One of the first high-profile public projects came in 2005, when the City and County of San Francisco, CA		One of the first high-profile public projects came in 2005, when the City and County of San Francisco, CA
	issued a [[Media:BARWN_to_RFI_Revised.pdf Request for Information for the deployment of a city-wide wireless broadband network]]. In 2006, EarthLink & Google, by proposing a unique, strategic partnership, were awarded the contract.		issued a [[Media:BARWN_to_RFI_Revised.pdf\|Request for Information for the deployment of a city-wide wireless broadband network]]. In 2006, EarthLink & Google, by proposing a unique, strategic partnership, were awarded the contract.
	Using the same wireless network, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-and-google-win-san-francisco-wi-fi-bid/ Google would offer free, 300 kilobits-per-second service], while EarthLink, an internet service provider transitioning from the dial-up modem to broadband era, would		Using the same wireless network, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-and-google-win-san-francisco-wi-fi-bid/ Google would offer free, 300 kilobits-per-second service], while EarthLink, an internet service provider transitioning from the dial-up modem to broadband era, would
	offer a faster, premium service of 1 megabit per second for US$20/month. The cost to the city would be		offer a faster, premium service of 1 megabit per second for US$20/month. The cost to the city would be

Pinfold: /* The Early Days */

2022-01-06T18:22:52Z

The Early Days

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:22, January 6, 2022
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	One of the first high-profile public projects came in 2005, when the City and County of San Francisco, CA		One of the first high-profile public projects came in 2005, when the City and County of San Francisco, CA
	issued a [[BARWN_to_RFI_Revised.pdf Request for Information for the deployment of a city-wide wireless broadband network]]. In 2006, EarthLink & Google, by proposing a unique, strategic partnership, were awarded the contract.		issued a [[Media:BARWN_to_RFI_Revised.pdf Request for Information for the deployment of a city-wide wireless broadband network]]. In 2006, EarthLink & Google, by proposing a unique, strategic partnership, were awarded the contract.
	Using the same wireless network, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-and-google-win-san-francisco-wi-fi-bid/ Google would offer free, 300 kilobits-per-second service], while EarthLink, an internet service provider transitioning from the dial-up modem to broadband era, would		Using the same wireless network, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-and-google-win-san-francisco-wi-fi-bid/ Google would offer free, 300 kilobits-per-second service], while EarthLink, an internet service provider transitioning from the dial-up modem to broadband era, would
	offer a faster, premium service of 1 megabit per second for US$20/month. The cost to the city would be		offer a faster, premium service of 1 megabit per second for US$20/month. The cost to the city would be

Pinfold: /* The Early Days */

2022-01-06T18:21:08Z

The Early Days

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:21, January 6, 2022
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	One of the first high-profile public projects came in 2005, when the City and County of San Francisco, CA		One of the first high-profile public projects came in 2005, when the City and County of San Francisco, CA
	issued a [BARWN_to_RFI_Revised.pdf Request for Information for the deployment of a city-wide wireless broadband network]. In 2006, EarthLink & Google, by proposing a unique, strategic partnership, were awarded the contract.		issued a [[BARWN_to_RFI_Revised.pdf Request for Information for the deployment of a city-wide wireless broadband network]]. In 2006, EarthLink & Google, by proposing a unique, strategic partnership, were awarded the contract.
	Using the same wireless network, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-and-google-win-san-francisco-wi-fi-bid/ Google would offer free, 300 kilobits-per-second service], while EarthLink, an internet service provider transitioning from the dial-up modem to broadband era, would		Using the same wireless network, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-and-google-win-san-francisco-wi-fi-bid/ Google would offer free, 300 kilobits-per-second service], while EarthLink, an internet service provider transitioning from the dial-up modem to broadband era, would
	offer a faster, premium service of 1 megabit per second for US$20/month. The cost to the city would be		offer a faster, premium service of 1 megabit per second for US$20/month. The cost to the city would be
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	works crews to clean them up and foot the bill for the removal cost. Meanwhile, Google’s free Wi-Fi in		works crews to clean them up and foot the bill for the removal cost. Meanwhile, Google’s free Wi-Fi in
	Mountain View, according to one insider we spoke with, was by then foundering.		Mountain View, according to one insider we spoke with, was by then foundering.

	=Analysis of What Went Wrong=		=Analysis of What Went Wrong=
	Much has been written on the death of municipal Wi-Fi. [[Media:SSRN-id1682088.pdf\|Eric M. Fraser, a legal scholar, pointed to Wi-Fi		Much has been written on the death of municipal Wi-Fi. [[Media:SSRN-id1682088.pdf\|Eric M. Fraser, a legal scholar, pointed to Wi-Fi

Pinfold: /* Public Wi-Fi Renaissance */

2022-01-06T08:26:57Z

Public Wi-Fi Renaissance

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:26, January 6, 2022
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	wireless internet connectivity. In fact, Wi-Fi plays a critical role in internet connectivity. One study		wireless internet connectivity. In fact, Wi-Fi plays a critical role in internet connectivity. One study
	forecasts that more than 49% of the world’s internet traffic will be transmitted on Wi-Fi technology by		forecasts that more than 49% of the world’s internet traffic will be transmitted on Wi-Fi technology by
	2020.12 And it’s not just for humans. As the [https://www.networkworld.com/article/2917793/is-wi-fi-going-to-be-the-technology-of-choice-for-iot.html Internet of Things (IoT) advances]], Wi-Fi will play in also key role in connectivity and backhaul for machine-to-machine (M2M) systems.		2020.12 And it’s not just for humans. As the [https://www.networkworld.com/article/2917793/is-wi-fi-going-to-be-the-technology-of-choice-for-iot.html Internet of Things (IoT) advances], Wi-Fi will play in also key role in connectivity and backhaul for machine-to-machine (M2M) systems.

	Lastly, municipalities have learned from the lessons of the past. Some are exploring breakthrough		Lastly, municipalities have learned from the lessons of the past. Some are exploring breakthrough

Pinfold: /* Public Wi-Fi Renaissance */

2022-01-06T08:26:21Z

Public Wi-Fi Renaissance

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:26, January 6, 2022
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	wireless internet connectivity. In fact, Wi-Fi plays a critical role in internet connectivity. One study		wireless internet connectivity. In fact, Wi-Fi plays a critical role in internet connectivity. One study
	forecasts that more than 49% of the world’s internet traffic will be transmitted on Wi-Fi technology by		forecasts that more than 49% of the world’s internet traffic will be transmitted on Wi-Fi technology by
	2020.12 And it’s not just for humans. As the [https://www.networkworld.com/article/2917793/is-wi-fi-going-to-be-the-technology-of-choice-for-iot.html Internet of Things (IoT) advances]], Wi-Fi will play in also key role in connectivity and backhaul for machine-to-machine (M2M) systems.13		2020.12 And it’s not just for humans. As the [https://www.networkworld.com/article/2917793/is-wi-fi-going-to-be-the-technology-of-choice-for-iot.html Internet of Things (IoT) advances]], Wi-Fi will play in also key role in connectivity and backhaul for machine-to-machine (M2M) systems.

	Lastly, municipalities have learned from the lessons of the past. Some are exploring breakthrough		Lastly, municipalities have learned from the lessons of the past. Some are exploring breakthrough

Pinfold: Created page with "{{Chapter | blueprint = Wireless | sectors = Wireless | authors = David Witkowski, Anton Batalla, Essam El-Beik, Benny Lee, Bill Pugh, Steve Wimsatt | poc = David Witkowski |..."

2022-01-06T08:19:53Z

Created page with "{{Chapter | blueprint = Wireless | sectors = Wireless | authors = David Witkowski, Anton Batalla, Essam El-Beik, Benny Lee, Bill Pugh, Steve Wimsatt | poc = David Witkowski |..."

New page

{{Chapter
| blueprint = Wireless
| sectors = Wireless
| authors = David Witkowski, Anton Batalla, Essam El-Beik, Benny Lee, Bill Pugh, Steve Wimsatt
| poc = David Witkowski
| email = davidw@jointventure.org
| document = 20170823-GCTC-PWSC-Public-WIFI-Blueprint-FINAL-v2.pdf
| chapter = 9001
}}
__NOTOC__
=The Early Days=
The dreams and aspirations of a municipal Wi-Fi system aren’t new: provide free, high-speed internet to
your community, close the digital divide, shrink the homework gap, and give consumers a free, public
option for internet service. It’s not hard to see why the concept has remained so popular over the years.
Municipal Wi-Fi projects date back nearly two decades. As early as 1999 Metricom was offering a 28.8
kbps commercial service in most of the San Francisco Bay Area, and a few years later they launched a
blisteringly-fast (for the time) service with 128 kbps – comparable to the copper-pair ISDN data service
which many startup companies used for what was then considered broadband. In parallel, there was a
growing desire to provide Wi-Fi data as a public service.

One of the first high-profile public projects came in 2005, when the City and County of San Francisco, CA
issued a [BARWN_to_RFI_Revised.pdf Request for Information for the deployment of a city-wide wireless broadband network]. In 2006, EarthLink & Google, by proposing a unique, strategic partnership, were awarded the contract.
Using the same wireless network, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-and-google-win-san-francisco-wi-fi-bid/ Google would offer free, 300 kilobits-per-second service], while EarthLink, an internet service provider transitioning from the dial-up modem to broadband era, would
offer a faster, premium service of 1 megabit per second for US$20/month. The cost to the city would be
zero, which was assuredly music to city officials’ ears.

By this time, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-wins-philly-wi-fi-contract/ Google was already offering free Wi-Fi service in its hometown of Mountain View, CA] and
EarthLink had struck agreements with Philadelphia and other cities. Many others quickly followed suit
as Chicago; Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis and signed similar deals with EarthLink, Metricom, Metro-Fi,
and other providers. [https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2006/03/11/wi-pie-in-the-sky In fact, by one count, over 200 municipalities had announced projects by the
middle of 2006].

Yet by 2007, the San Francisco project was dead along with many more. EarthLink’s model proved to be
a failure. Metro-Fi and Metricom devices were left stranded on city poles, leaving municipal public
works crews to clean them up and foot the bill for the removal cost. Meanwhile, Google’s free Wi-Fi in
Mountain View, according to one insider we spoke with, was by then foundering.
=Analysis of What Went Wrong=
Much has been written on the death of municipal Wi-Fi. [[Media:SSRN-id1682088.pdf|Eric M. Fraser, a legal scholar, pointed to Wi-Fi
technology itself as the problem, citing three factors: “imperfect frequency, congestion within the
frequency bands, and limited signal strength” as the main causes]]. These factors, he argued, resulted in
signal degradation over short distances and when passing through “trees, cars, walls, windows, and
household furniture”; thus, connections were unreliable and the cost to build out a network that would
overcome this (which would require tremendous access point density in the architectural design of the
network) was thus cost-prohibitive.

The dreams and aspirations of a municipal Wi-Fi system aren’t new: provide free, high-speed internet to
your community, close the digital divide, shrink the homework gap, and give consumers a free, public
option for internet service. It’s not hard to see why the concept has remained so popular over the years.
Municipal Wi-Fi projects date back nearly two decades. As early as 1999 Metricom was offering a 28.8
kbps commercial service in most of the San Francisco Bay Area, and a few years later they launched a
blisteringly-fast (for the time) service with 128 kbps – comparable to the copper-pair ISDN data service
which many startup companies used for what was then considered broadband. In parallel, there was a
growing desire to provide Wi-Fi data as a public service.
[[Media:BARWN_to_RFI_Revised.pdf|One of the first high-profile public projects came in 2005, when the City and County of San Francisco, CA
issued a Request for Information for the deployment of a city-wide wireless broadband network.]]

[https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-and-google-win-san-francisco-wi-fi-bid/ In 2006, EarthLink & Google, by proposing a unique, strategic partnership], were awarded the contract.
Using the same wireless network, Google would offer free, 300 kilobits-per-second service, while
EarthLink, an internet service provider transitioning from the dial-up modem to broadband era, would
offer a faster, premium service of 1 megabit per second for US$20/month. The cost to the city would be zero, which was assuredly music to city officials’ ears.
By this time, [https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/earthlink-wins-philly-wi-fi-contract/ Google was already offering free Wi-Fi service in its hometown of Mountain View, CA] and
EarthLink had struck agreements with Philadelphia and other cities. Many others quickly followed suit
as [https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2006/03/11/wi-pie-in-the-sky Chicago; Portland, Oregon; Minneapolis and signed similar deals with EarthLink, Metricom, Metro-Fi], and other providers. In fact, by one count, over 200 municipalities had announced projects by the
middle of 2006.
Yet by 2007, the San Francisco project was dead along with many more. EarthLink’s model proved to be
a failure. Metro-Fi and Metricom devices were left stranded on city poles, leaving municipal public
works crews to clean them up and foot the bill for the removal cost. Meanwhile, Google’s free Wi-Fi in
Mountain View, according to one insider we spoke with, was by then foundering.
=Analysis of What Went Wrong=
Much has been written on the death of municipal Wi-Fi. Eric M. Fraser, a legal scholar, pointed to Wi-Fi
technology itself as the problem, citing three factors: “imperfect frequency, congestion within the
frequency bands, and limited signal strength” as the main causes. These factors, he argued, resulted in
signal degradation over short distances and when passing through “trees, cars, walls, windows, and
household furniture”; thus, connections were unreliable and the cost to build out a network that would
overcome this (which would require tremendous access point density in the architectural design of the
network) was thus [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1682088 cost-prohibitive]Wi-Fi also lacks an intrinsic authentication method, and does not have a handoff mechanism to allow users to move between access points without disruption to the connection.

Tim Wu – famous for coining the phrase “net neutrality” – blamed cities for turning over muni Wi-Fi
networks to private partners that needed to generate profits in order to be sustainable. In 2007, he
argued with “typical configurations…municipal wireless connections are slower, not dramatically
cheaper, and by their nature less reliable than existing internet services,” [https://slate.com/technology/2007/09/why-have-municipal-wi-fi-networks-been-such-a-flop.html thus no one would pay for it].

Another factor is simply market readiness. In 2005-2007, end users were much less likely to know how
to associate to a public Wi-Fi network, much less even think it might be doable or have a reason to
connect.
=Public Wi-Fi Renaissance=
While things looked bleak in 2007, municipal Wi-Fi never truly died. In cases where the city itself became
the “anchor tenant” on the system (i.e., the city uses the network for cost reductions and to increase
operational efficiency), [https://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0913/p13s01-stct.html municipal Wi-Fi networks were able to sustain and do quite well].

Meanwhile, the dreams of achieving ubiquitous, free connectivity have not only survived intact, but
today are thriving all over the world. This is because the situation is dramatically different now and
much more favorable for Public Wi-Fi deployments. This has occurred for several reasons.

For one, Wi-Fi has become a mature, recognizable, and reliable technology with many companies
building powerful and affordable enterprise-grade solutions and systems. Wi-Fi technology itself has
greatly improved, particularly with the release of 802.11AC.11 This is the fifth generation of Wi-Fi
technology and provides gigabit speeds and excellent range. Mesh networking has made outdoor
buildouts cost-effective and achievable.

At the same time, with mobile devices flourishing since the release of the first iPhone in 2007, people all
over the world have become familiar with Wi-Fi and are confident in its basic ability to effectively deliver
wireless internet connectivity. In fact, Wi-Fi plays a critical role in internet connectivity. One study
forecasts that more than 49% of the world’s internet traffic will be transmitted on Wi-Fi technology by
2020.12 And it’s not just for humans. As the [https://www.networkworld.com/article/2917793/is-wi-fi-going-to-be-the-technology-of-choice-for-iot.html Internet of Things (IoT) advances]], Wi-Fi will play in also key role in connectivity and backhaul for machine-to-machine (M2M) systems.13

Lastly, municipalities have learned from the lessons of the past. Some are exploring breakthrough
business models and public-private partnerships, while others are successfully justifying expenditures
from the general fund to build and maintain Wi-Fi systems. In this way, Public Wi-Fi has emerged from
the ashes of Muni Wi-Fi and there is no better time than today to consider building public Wi-Fi..