MuniWireless

Today’s NYT editorial surprised me. Not only did it bring to our attention, again, the continuing inability of rural communities and low-income households to obtain inexpensive broadband, but it also asked cities to push for municipal wireless deployments that really address this problem:

Broadband service is no longer a luxury. It has become a basic part of the infrastructure of education and democracy. EarthLink should fulfill the commitments it made. Even in these tough economic times, cities should keep pushing municipal Wi-Fi…

The Riverside, California muni Wi-Fi network is nearing completion, according to the Inland News. Riverside issued an RFP in 2006 and selected AT&T from among three bidders. From the beginning, Riverside had intended to use the network not just for Internet access but for a host of municipal services. For a while it seemed as if the network would not expand beyond the downtown area. Now, apparently, AT&T is deploying the network in other parts of Riverside to cover 55…