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NYC Wireless
Location: USA
Abstract:
NYC wireless is a non-profit organization that advocates and works for free public wireless networks in the New York City area. Founded in 2001 by Terry Schmidt and Anthony Townsend, NYC Wireless remains an all-volunteer organization. Following a successful launch of its first wireless zone in Bryant Park, NYC Wireless has expanded its work to incorporate other green and/or public spaces in the city, in cooperation with the city's parks organizations and neighborhood associations. It has also expanded its work to include the acquisition of affordable broadband access for several of New York City's poorer neighborhoods. The organization is a supporter of open-source software, and regularly testifies at public municipal hearings.
Related Items:
• Austin Wireless City Project
• Electricity, Gas – and Broadband
Website: http://www.nycwireless.net/
Practitioner Name: Dana Spiegel
Practitioner Tel: 917-402-0422
Practitioner E-mail: dana@nycwireless.net
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Ocean City, NJ
Location: USA
Abstract:
Island life is about not being tied down, especially in a resort community like Ocean City. So, to truly set us free, the City of Ocean City is exploring the possibility of going wireless. Having a municipal wireless network with coverage for the entire island would benefit everyone: residents, businesses, visitors, City employees, and the schools. The network would be a service provided by the City, not a communication company. It makes sense for a municipality to provide a universal internet connection because it is a utility type service like water, trash and recycling collection, road maintenance, and emergency services, with the same service for everyone. Municipal wireless bridges the digital divide, enhances communication and education opportunities, enables people to manage finances and make purchases online, and even opens up home health care to the possibility of distance monitoring. In addition to all of the great services that going wireless provides, it actually makes economic sense for the City of Ocean City. A wireless network will enable Ocean City to expand economic development and control the cost of local services. Wireless allows the City to save on cell phone usage, T-1 lines, and it adds efficiency. By maximizing connectivity, there are a variety of ways to enhance education, library services, and emergency management services. A Business Plan should be completed in April 2007 and a solicitation for vendors is expected to be released during the summer of 2007. The feasibility study is being sponsored by the Ocean City Library. This schedule puts Ocean City on track to have wireless coverage by early 2008. Wireless will differentiate Ocean City from other resorts. Hotels and motels will be able to market this service. Likewise, the City parks, beaches and boardwalk will offer wireless services. Wireless is one of many steps that Ocean City is taking to enhance the economic viability of this resort community.
Related Items:
• Austin Wireless City Project
• Minneapolis Wi-Fi Works, Where it Exists
• Community Wi-Fi Revival Meeting in Riverside Draws Hundreds
• Sarbuland Khan
Website: http://www.ocnj.us/municipalwire.asp
Practitioner Name: n/a
Practitioner Tel: (609) 399-6111
Practitioner E-mail: casestudies@digitalinclusionforum.com
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Open Air Boston
Location: USA
Abstract:
Openairboston.net (OAB) is a private, non-profit corporation created to develop, implement and operate a network to provide affordable wireless internet access throughout the City of Boston. This is an exciting opportunity for Boston to take the lead in one of the most important developments the next twenty years, in which people, companies and communities will become both more connected and less tethered, as wireless technologies evolve.
Website: http://openairboston.net/
Practitioner Name: Pamela D.A. Reeve
Practitioner Tel: 617-542-5690
Practitioner E-mail: info@openairboston.net
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Philadelphia, Olney Portal
Location: USA
Abstract:
In November 2006, Wireless Philadelphia chose the Olney Neighborhood portal developed by Ninth Wave Media as the winning proposal in its RFP request for a Philadelphia community Web site. The Olney portal was launched in July 2005 and featured daily news covered from a “hyper-local” standpoint. The portal serves four functions: education, business, government (safety, health, public relations), and entertainment.
Website: http://www.olney.philavoice.com
Practitioner Name: Judith Miller
Practitioner Tel: 419-725-4500
Practitioner E-mail: jmiller@ninthwavemedia.com
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Philadelphia, Peoples Emergency Center
Location: USA
Abstract:
A community center in West Powelton/Saunders Park, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia, has been showing how some of the city’s most disempowered residents—what the project overseer calls “the poorest of the poor”—can do with broadband access. With the aid of expert volunteers, computers donated by local firms, technical support and training provided by high-school students, and a small network of hotspots run out of a computer lab, the Digital Inclusion Program at the People’s Emergency Center is connecting the homes of mostly low-income single mothers and their children to provide them with the online resources they need to improve their lives. The center extends Wi-Fi and tailored Web content through hotspots to light up 100 computers in nearby apartment buildings. Cisco helped provide Wi-Fi antennas to mount on buildings the center owns, including the residence of the director and that of another employee.
Website: http://www.pec-cares.org
Practitioner Name: Tan Vu
Practitioner Tel: n/a
Practitioner E-mail: tvu@pec-cares.org
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Philadelphia, Wireless Philadelphia
Location: USA
Abstract:
Philadelphia is the fifith-largest US city, with a regional population of 5.8 million. It has 83 unique neighborhoods, 52 departments and agencies, and 25,000 full-time local-government employees, with an operating budget of $3.5 billion. Wireless Philadelphia was created to transform Philadelphia's neighborhoods by making high-speed Internet access more available and affordable through Digital Inclusion – the initiative that helps people who are not online gain access with hardware, software, tech support/information, and broadband Internet service, so they can begin to use this technology to improve their educational, employment, health, and life opportunities. Wireless Philadelphia will help all citizens, businesses, schools, and community organizations embrace this technology while strengthening the City's economy, enhancing the visitor experience, and streamlining City services. Philadelphia has been central to the debate over the rights of cities to own and operate their own broadband-wireless networks—that is, to use taxpayer money to provide a service that might otherwise be provided by the private sector. Signed by Gov. Ed Rendell on November 30, 2004, Pennsylvania's House Bill 30 was backed by Philadelphia’s local exchange carrier and set up to prohibit municipal participation in broadband services. Thanks to a grassroots efforts, however, more than 3,000 people wrote, e-mailed and called the governor’s office urging—successfully—that Philadelphia be given an exemption, a one-year delay in the legislation taking effect, and a waiver and exemption from litigation. Philadelphia found a way to avoid legal and political collisions with incumbent telecom and cable companies by forming nonprofit corporations [also known by its tax code as a 501(c)3] to manage the system. Because the network is shared, the nonprofit may use part of the revenues to lower the cost of service to underserved communities. In Philadelphia, a board oversees Wireless Philadelphia, a 501(c)3 with a CEO and staff, to evaluate potential private-sector partners and do marketing and procurement. It will also contract with service providers to do the “customer care and feeding” in the delivery of services to the end user.
Website: http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.org
Practitioner Name: Ryan Nichols
Practitioner Tel: 215.627.3560 x104
Practitioner E-mail: rnichols@wirelessphiladelphia.org
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Pittsburgh, PA
Location: USA
Abstract:
In 2006, US Wireless Online won a contract from the City of Pittsburgh to deploy an ubiquitous Wi-Fi network in its central business district—across approximately two square miles (where the Steelers play football and the Pirates play baseball). At the end of November 2006, the network had about 3,500 registered users and carried almost half a terabyte of data through the network on a monthly basis. In the busiest hour of the day, there are about 125 simultaneously users on the network. The business model is two hours free per day, and then you can subscribe. The registration data suggest that the free users are locals while most of the daily and monthly subscribers are visitors to the city for three or four days. For $14, subscribers get one month of access.
Website: http://www.wifipittsburgh.com/
Practitioner Name: Tim Pisula
Practitioner Tel: 412-569-0209
Practitioner E-mail: tim@pisula.com
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Portland, OR
Location: USA
Abstract:
On April 11, 2007, the City of Portland awarded MetroFi a Certificate of Acceptance for its "proof of concept" network. Based on this Certificate, MetroFi will expand its coverage territory to include parts of southwest Portland and east Portland. This network expansion builds on MetroFi's "proof of concept" network that covers parts of downtown, the near eastside, and the Lloyd District. By mid-April, MetroFi's network will "go live" in more Portland neighborhoods, including Sunnyside, sections of Hillsdale and Richmond, and the eastern, off-campus border of Portland State University (northeast and southwest of Market, Broadway, and 12th Avenue). The network will continue to expand in subsequent months until it delivers free Internet access at DSL-like speeds to approximately 95% of the city's areas.
Website: http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?c=43147&a=150068
Practitioner Name: Logan Kleier
Practitioner Tel: n/a
Practitioner E-mail: unwireportland@ci.portland.or.us
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Refurbished Computer Initiative (RCI)
Location: USA
Abstract:
With the RCI program, we aim to increase the supply of donated and refurbished computer systems to U.S. nonprofit organizations. By maximizing the life cycles of these systems, TechSoup Stock and its donor and refurbisher partners hope to significantly decrease the disposal of still-useful computers while acting to reduce harmful waste. In the future, we will provide incentives to nonprofits to trade in refurbished RCI equipment that has reached the end of its useful life cycle, or has become obsolete, for a further discount on newer refurbished machines.
Website: http://www.techsoup.org/stock/rci/
Practitioner Name: n/a
Practitioner Tel: n/a
Practitioner E-mail: rci@techsoup.org
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Rio Rancho, NM
Location: USA
Abstract:
In March 2006, the City of Rio Rancho reached an agreement with municipal Wi-Fi operator Azulstar, Inc. to offer free High-Speed Wi-Fi Internet access to the community. The service is provided over the year-old city-wide Wi-Fi network, blanketing some 45 square miles of the city, reaching some 70,000 residents and visitors. Users of the free service can connect at 100kbps for up to 10 hours/month. Any resident and visitor need only connect to the ‘Azulstar' Wi-Fi signal and signup to immediately begin using the Internet. Local advertisements will be used to support the service; higher speeds and Voice over IP are available as premium services.
Website: http://www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us
Practitioner Name: Peggy McCarthy
Practitioner Tel: 505-896-8701
Practitioner E-mail: PMCCARTHY@ci.rio-rancho.nm.us
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