http://www.personalbee.com/215/22019768
Commentary: Keeping the digital divide on the muni Wi-Fi agenda Since EarthLink's restructuring, there have been no major providers willing to deploy free networks for cities. That has prompted a new focus on public safety and municipal applications as the drivers for muni deployments where once attention was riveted on these networks as a way of addressing the digital divide. Greg Goldman, CEO of Wireless Philadelphia, the not-for- profit organization that partnered with EarthLink to bring free Wi-Fi to that city, addressed the imperatives in keeping the digital divide on municipal agendas in a recent speech to the newly organized Philadelphial chapter of the Internet Society. EarthLink has remained committed to the network in Philadelphia even as it backed away from deployments in San Francisco, Houston and Chicago. The company's continued interest in Philadelphia and the early successes of the network in addressing the digital divide there make it an interesting and valuable case study for those interested in the issues of social equity that early muni networks have tried to address. Greg's comments remind us that, just because it's no longer at the top of many city agendas, the divide has not gone away and that it deserves continued attention moving forward. The percentage of Philadelphia's population that still lacks access to the Internet, the lowest among major cities.His speech reflects on the effects of the digital divide in Philadelphia and what it means to that city and, to a broader extent, to American competitiveness in a world market where U.S. broadband access standings trail other industrialized nations. Philadelphia remains the beacon for municipalities concerned about addressing the digital divide. As other cities move toward municipal applications and public safety--and away from inclusion--as the issues driving development of municipal networks, Philadelphia (with EarthLink as its partner) remains committed to it. The speech provides a in-depth look at the challenges in Philadelphia and what that city is doing to address them. Greg's remarks are on: http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.org/blog_detail.cfm/blog/38.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- WWWhatsup NYC http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com --------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.isoc-ny.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
