Post in Minneapolis Wi-Fi: Time to Pull the Contract?

Mar 27 14:08 UTC

They can't help you with wireless hubs that aren't the ones they sold you.
That's not that uncommon in the tech industry. Wireless vendors change their
products fairly regularly and you'd have to train a staff to understand all of
those various software interfaces, how they are accessed (you can turn the web
browser off and need a direct cable link), and what the various flavors of the
operating systems on the actual device will and won't let you do with it.  To
have a staff trained to that level would make Comcast and Qwest look cheap by
comparsion.  Heck, try calling linksys and see how well trained they are on
just their own products.  :)

I can't imagine someone with as much IT experience would **ever** try to
compare a wired connection to a wireless connection.  Maybe if you wrapped your
ethernet cable maypole style around an electrical conduit.  But there's a
really good reason you plug mission critical systems into the network and avoid
wireless.  It's not as realible a technology.

I could see the USInternet service as a threat to dial-up or to satatlite,
especially for someone who couldn't afford the additional cost of a wired
broadband connection.  It's not going to compete feature/function with a DSL or
Cable connection, only on cost.

I never saw this project as something that was aimed to displace the current
broadband vendors.  The business case is on-line on the city's website.
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/wirelessminneapolis/MplsWireless_BusinessCase_V3.pdf
Seems clear that the goal is to create more digital inclusion, which means
helping up the people who can't get a better pipe through the methods already
available.  The executive summary gives a good idea what they wanted to do.  If
the city wants to pull out of the contract, would our (meaning the city's)
goals change, and how would they be better served by starting over?