I really had hoped that city-wide WiFi would become a reality, but the time is not right. I understand that this same problem is happening in other cities across the nation right now, but I hope everything gets back on track.
This is the exact sort of thing that needs to becoma a reality in order to enice young professionals to our city. Also, it is needed as we are lagging further and further behind other nations in our connectivety. If we cannot compete with their speeds, we need to compete with their numbers.
Cincinnati won’t soon be a wireless city after all.
The wireless broadband market is too unstable now, and similar projects have been canceled across the country, City Manager Milton Dohoney says. So he notified the mayor and city council members this week that his plan to explore citywide WiFi goes on hold.
To study the possibility, the city spent about $18,000, less than the $50,000 council set aside.
When Dohoney’s office announced in May that officials hoped the city would be wireless in three years, the idea drew praise. Ryan Rybolt, president and co-founder of Project Lilypad, a volunteer group that encourages the development of free wireless hot spots, said city WiFi would help draw young professionals to Cincinnati because it helps the city appear progressive.
Mayor Mark Mallory said he hoped to find a way to provide computers to low-income residents so they could use the wireless service, too.
Civitium, a Georgia company that has worked for Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas among others, was hired to advise local officials. According to the company’s blog, “capital-constrained muni WiFi operators have shifted their business models to require revenue commitments from local governments recently, as a condition for agreeing to build Wi-Fi networks.”
That was the problem for Cincinnati – too much money would likely be required from the city, said Meg Olberding, city spokeswoman. It was clear, Dohoney said in his memo, that the city likely would not get a favorable response if it issued a request for proposals to build a network. The projects can cost millions.
Among the problems elsewhere, the city manager said: leading provider Earthlink is restructuring, cutting staff and canceling projects in San Francisco, St. Petersburg, Fla., and New Orleans; Chicago canceled its plans after being unable to reach an agreement with providers after issuing a request for proposals.
The city plans to hold onto its research and wait for the market to change.
“It was a wise investment to do our due diligence,” Olberding said. “It gives us a good base to be ready when the timing is right.”
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